'No US military strike during'...Iran wants a guarantee, and said this about leaving Non-Proliferation Treaty

Iran wants a guarantee that the US will not launch any more military strikes when nuclear talks are going on, its foreign minister has said. In an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde, Abbas Aragachi categorically refused to negotiate on Iran's ballistic missile programme, calling it purely 'defensive'. He also spoke about why Iran enriched uranium to near-weapons grade, while giving a religious reason for why it would not develop a nuclear weapon. Abbas was also asked about whether Iran will leave the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT.

Iran ready for nuclear dialogue with the US, but on this condition

Aragachi said Iran is open to nuclear dialogue with Washington, but only if the US offers talks. He wanted guarantees against military attacks by the US, insisting on mutual respect and 'acknowledgement of past mistakes'. He said the US attacks on its nuclear sites in June could have caused environmental damage and hazards to human health.
"It is...essential that responsibility for these mistakes is acknowledged and that a clear sign of a change in behaviour is observed. It must be guaranteed that in the future, during negotiations, the US does not launch a military attack," Aragachi told Le Monde.

He revealed that backchannel diplomacy is currently active via mediators. He demanded that the US must acknowledge responsibility for violating the JCPoA, the Iranian nuclear deal.

Nuclear site attacks: Iran to seek compensation for damages

Aragachi said Iran may seek compensation for damages caused by US-Israel strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, even as he played down the effectiveness of the strikes by US B2 bombers.

Aragachi said that while US President Donald Trump claimed Iran’s nuclear programme was 'destroyed' in the June strikes, UN nuclear agency IAEA's chief, Rafael Grossi, said it was only 'delayed by months'. He called the attacks on IAEA-supervised sites a violation of international law, and an irreversible blow to the non-proliferation system.

Iran has fatwa against nuclear weapons: Aragachi

Aragachi repeated the Iranian line that its nuclear development is 'peaceful' and for energy, medicine and agriculture.

He denied any military ambitions for the programme, citing a fatwa or religious decree against nuclear weapons.

‘No compromise on Iranian ballistic missile programme’

Aragachi insisted that Iran's ballistic missile programme is 'non-negotiable'. It's defensive in nature and 'limited in range', he added while slamming 'Western hypocrisy' for tolerating missile development in other countries.

What Iranian foreign minister said on leaving NPT

Aragachi told the paper that Iran has no intention of leaving the Non-Proliferation Treaty in spite of the recent ‘provocations’ by the US and Israel.

He reaffirmed commitment to international nuclear norms, but said Iran reserves the right to enrich uranium under the NPT.
He said the past enrichment of Uranium to 20 per cent and 60 per cent was 'a response to breaches of agreements', and not for military purposes.

Iran is willing to negotiate enrichment levels within a balanced and reciprocal deal, he added.