The Iranian foreign minister explained that Tehran is still open to nuclear negotiations with Washington, but said the White House must give assurances that the US or Israel will not launch another aggressive war against the Islamic Republic.
“We have always been ready to engage in dialogue regarding our nuclear program, and we will continue to be in the future. But naturally, there must be assurances that any future negotiations will not once again be turned into war by the US or other countries,” Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Saturday.
In April, Tehran began negotiations with the Donald Trump administration on a deal that would provide additional inspections and limitations of Iran’s civilian nuclear program to ensure the Islamic Republic is not secretly building a nuclear weapon.
In June, Israel launched an aggressive war against Iran that killed over 1,000 people, including top officials and nuclear scientists. The initial Israeli attack took place just two days before Iran and the US were set to engage in another round of nuclear negotiations.
Prior to the war, Tehran and Washington engaged in five rounds of talks with Iranian officials expressing optimism that a deal was possible. One of the remaining issues was Iran’s nuclear enrichment program.
The Islamic Republic argues the ability to enrich uranium is key to its sovereignty, although maintains that is willing to cap its enrichment level at under four percent. Trump demanded that Iran completely dismantle its enrichment program. Nuclear enrichment can serve civilian purposes, namely nuclear power, and many countries without nuclear weapons have enrichment programs.
Araghchi said the US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities had not changed Tehran’s position on enrichment. “In any negotiation-based solution, the rights of the Iranian people regarding the nuclear issue –particularly the right to enrichment – must be respected. We will not accept any agreement that excludes enrichment,” he said.
Trump has threatened to restart the war against Iran if it rebuilds its nuclear program.
Araghchi restated that Iran is committed to a civilian nuclear program. “If Iran intended to pursue nuclear weapons, it would have done so already. The Islamic Republic adheres to principles rooted in Islamic and humanitarian beliefs,” he explained, noting he was reflecting the policy of the Iranian supreme leader.
