Tehran on Wednesday accused Washington of seeking through diplomacy what it failed to achieve with military strikes, suggesting that talks with the United States have not yet reached a “mature stage.”
Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the US wants to ensure Iran’s nuclear activities are completely disabled, and is pressing Tehran to sign a binding agreement since that has not happened.
“One of our problems, both during previous negotiations and now, is that we have not heard a coherent statement from the Americans. Their statements constantly change, and the messages we receive are contradictory,” Araghchi said.
“Sometimes the messages differ from each other, and sometimes they differ from the interviews. I think perhaps the Americans have not yet reached a final conclusion and may be caught up in other issues,” he added.
Iran’s national security chief Ali Larijani said last week that talks with the US are possible, but only if aimed at a genuine resolution.
Negotiations under the Trump administration began with a 60-day ultimatum to Iran.
On the 61st day, June 13, Israel launched a surprise military campaign. Less than two weeks later, on June 24, the United States struck three major nuclear sites in Esfahan, Fordow, and Natanz, claiming Iran’s facilities had been “obliterated.”
Strained relations with watchdog
Araghchi said Tehran is also negotiating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stressing that unless Iran withdraws from the Non-Proliferation Treaty, cooperation will continue.
“We cannot completely cut off cooperation with the Agency,” he added. “In about a month, it’s time to replace the fuel at the Bushehr power plant, and this must be done in the presence of Agency inspectors.”
But that would not mean a return to pre-war arrangements, he stressed quickly.
“This new cooperation with the Agency will definitely not be like before, especially since, according to parliament’s law, all matters must go through the Supreme National Security Council, which decides where and how inspections will take place, or whether they will happen at all.”
UN sanctions looming
Araghchi also warned that UN “snapback” sanctions could return but said Tehran is working with Russia and China to prepare for such a scenario.
“For several years, we’ve been working with China and Russia on this issue. We’ve held numerous joint meetings and designed a set of joint measures to implement if snapback is triggered,” he said.
The snapback mechanism, part of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal, allows any party to restore sanctions if Iran is accused of non-compliance.
France, the UK and Germany have warned Iran they will restore UN measures unless talks resume and produce results by the end of August.
“Regarding solutions to ultimately prevent snapback, discussions have taken place among our three countries, and we have some measures in mind, though we may not succeed,” Iran’s foreign minister said.
Fada-Hossein Maleki, a member of parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told Didban Iran that “if the Europeans want to activate the snapback mechanism, we will also continue the war with the Zionist regime.”
Maleki argued that such a step would destabilize global and regional equations. “Triggering this mechanism will entangle many players,” he warned.
He also accused Israel of undermining diplomacy by attacking Iran during ongoing nuclear negotiations, saying: “With that aggression, we practically saw the death of diplomacy.”
"Now, the activation of the snapback mechanism would once again mean abandoning diplomacy, and if the Europeans choose this path, this time we will put forward the tools of war and continue the 12-day conflict.”
He added, “The next war will not be one that ends in 12 days, or even one or two months. Dangerous events will inevitably unfold for all countries in the region.”
Maleki said Iran’s “first step” in response to a European move would be withdrawal from the NPT. “This issue has long been on the agenda of the commission and parliament,” he said.
Britain, France and Germany — the so-called E3 — have warned Iran that unless it returns to nuclear talks by the end of August, they will trigger the mechanism that could reimpose all UN sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal.
The lawmaker said Iran had now rebuilt its military readiness after the 12-day conflict and was “prepared for offensive operations in case of any new confrontation.”
“Today America and some European countries are seeking to expand unilateralism and impose their views on other nations,” Pezeshkian said, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA. “This approach has not been and will not be tolerable for you or for us.”
Pezeshkian, who arrived in Belarus on Tuesday night, said Tehran and Minsk enjoyed “broad common ground” not only in bilateral relations but also in regional and international forums, citing the Eurasian Economic Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS as platforms for cooperation.
“Western countries led by America want to force us to move according to their will,” he said. “But Iran and Belarus believe they lack nothing compared with countries that impose sanctions, and that together they can overcome sanctions and difficulties.”
Lukashenko, a close ally of Russia, welcomed Pezeshkian and said: “Belarus is a friendly country and a reliable partner for Iran. You have come to a friend.” He assured his Iranian counterpart that Minsk wanted to expand cooperation and resolve obstacles to existing agreements.
"In conditions of geopolitical turbulence, Minsk and Tehran are undertaking consistent and balanced steps to further develop cooperation, and are working hard to turn each new challenge into a new opportunity," Belarusian state news agency Belta quoted Lukashenko as saying.
"We are ready to discuss any issues, we have no closed topics," Lukashenko said, adding that the two countries could partner across a range of areas including "military-technical cooperation".
Recalling his own visit to Tehran, Lukashenko said: “I have very good memories from this trip, especially the meeting with the Supreme Leader of Iran. I ask you to convey my best wishes to him. I believe that there are no closed paths before us and we can elevate our relations to the highest levels.”
The two leaders witnessed the signing of 12 cooperation documents in areas including politics, international law, tourism, culture, media, health, pharmaceuticals, industry, environment, free zones, special economic zones and investment, as well as a joint statement.
Pezeshkian also laid a wreath at Minsk’s Victory Square memorial before beginning his official meetings. His trip to Belarus followed a state visit to Armenia earlier this week.