‘Assurance should be provided’: Iran ‘ready’ to resume nuclear talks with US on THIS condition
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Assurance should be provided’: Iran ‘ready’ to resume nuclear talks with US on THIS condition")
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi Photograph: (AFP)
The foreign minister insisted that any new nuclear deal must respect its right under the Non-Proliferation Treaty to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.
Iran on Saturday (Jul 12) said that it would resume nuclear talks with the United States if there was a guarantee of no more attacks on the Islamic Republic. In a speech to Tehran-based foreign diplomats, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Iran was ready for the talks, but added that “assurance should be provided that in case of a resumption of talks, the trend will not lead to war.” He added that the deal must also respect Tehran’s right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes. Araghchi further said that cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, which was suspended following the US strikes, “will take on a new form”.
Speaking of Israel’s 12-day military operations that targeted Iran’s key nuclear and military sites, and the US strikes on June 22, Tehran’s foreign minister said that is the US and other nations wish to resume talks with Iran, “there should be a firm guarantee that such actions will not be repeated.” He added, “The attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities has made it more difficult and complicated to achieve a solution based on negotiations.”
Iran ‘ready’ for talks
Araghchi further said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran remains ready to build this confidence through diplomacy but, before that, our counterparts must convince us that they want diplomacy and not that diplomacy is a cover for other goals and objectives they have.”
He added that details of a possible resumption of talks with the US were being reviewed. This included time, location, form, ingredients, and assurances required for negotiations.
“If negotiations are held... the subject of the negotiations will be only nuclear and creating confidence in Iran’s nuclear programme in return for the lifting of sanctions,” Araghchi told diplomats in Tehran. “No other issues will be subject to negotiation.”
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He warned that a so-called snapback of UN sanctions could end Europe’s involvement in the issue of Tehran’s nuclear programme. As per a clause in the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and global powers, the UN can reimpose sanctions in case Tehran breaches the deal.
Cooperation with IAEA will take ‘new form’
Following the US strikes on Iran, Tehran suspended its ties with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Araghchi said that Iran’s cooperation with the agency has not stopped, “but will take on a new form.” He added that requests to monitor nuclear sites “will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis... taking into account safety and security issues.”
Nuclear deal must respect ‘right’ to enrichment
The foreign minister insisted that any new nuclear deal must respect its right under the Non-Proliferation Treaty to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes. “I would like to emphasise that in any negotiated solution, the rights of the Iranian people on the nuclear issue, including the right to enrichment, must be respected,” he said. “We will not have any agreement in which enrichment is not included.”
