Foreign powers must choose 'diplomacy or war' after June conflict, Iran FM says

“Iran is a different place” after the June strikes, Trump said aboard his plane en route to Florida on Friday. “Iran wants to negotiate a deal, too. Everybody wants to negotiate with us now.” He said this shift would not have happened “if we didn’t have military strength, if we didn’t rebuild our military in my first term.” He added that there had been “tremendous interest” in the Abraham Accords “since we put Iran out of business.”

The comments came a day after a senior aide in Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s office outlined strict conditions under which talks with the United States could take place. Mehdi Fazaeli said negotiations were “not absolutely forbidden” if they were tightly controlled and served Iran’s higher interests, while stressing what he called deep mistrust of Washington.

Fazaeli said Khamenei had at times allowed narrow contacts on Iraq, Afghanistan and nuclear issues, but rejected talks that could be seen as retreat. Negotiations collapsed after Israel launched surprise strikes on Iran in June, followed by US attacks on nuclear facilities that killed hundreds of civilians and military personnel.

The UN nuclear watchdog said this week it has been unable to check Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile for five months. Before June, it had confirmed Iran held about 440 kilograms enriched to 60 percent.

Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote to the UN chief this week saying Trump had publicly admitted to directing Israel’s initial strikes and urged the United Nations to seek reparations from Washington.

Iravani said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) insists on access and inspection of attacked sites, but that requires new “modalities” to ensure the safety of the nuclear sites and their staff.

The IAEA's November report highlights Iran's denial of access to seven attacked nuclear sites for five months, voiding a September access deal and eroding safeguards verification.

Iravani criticized the reimposition of UN sanctions on Iran triggered by European powers, saying the a mechanism to reinstate them was based on a lapsed nuclear agreement.

“Resolution 2231 expired permanently in October, ending all related restrictions. Any attempt to revive or reimplement them is an illegal abuse of procedures and must be firmly rejected by this assembly and the Secretary-General,” Iravani said in a speech published by official media.

Under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, any participant in the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) - the E3 (France, Germany, UK), Russia, China or the United States could file a non-compliance complaint with the UN Security Council.

The E3 initiated the non-compliance process in August, and UN sanctions were fully activated and reimposed in September.

“The action by the three European countries to activate the so-called ‘trigger’ mechanism is an illegal, reckless move aimed at destroying the last bridge of diplomacy, and thus lacks any validity,” Iravani said.

'Inspection mdalities'

Iravani condemned Israel's June strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and subsequent US attacks, demanding condemnation from UN and IAEA officials.

The IAEA report also criticizes Iran's nuclear program for non-compliance, citing undeclared uranium traces at secret sites and stockpiles of 440.9 kg (972 pounds) enriched to 60% purity.

A 12-day war in June killed hundreds of military personnel and civilians; Iranian counterattacks killed 32 Israeli civilians and an off-duty soldier.

"Our response is only to respect, the rule of law, and equality. Military aggression and economic terrorism will never force Iran to forgo its legitimate rights,” Iravani said.

Iran says as a participant in the Non-Proliferation Treaty, it has the right to pursue uranium enrichment, which the West disputes.

Tehran denies seeking a nuclear weapon, citing a religious decree by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei; it rejects giving up its nuclear activities and has said discussions on its defense posture are a non-starter.

G7 foreign ministers urged Iran to fully comply with UN resolutions and NPT obligations during their Niagara summit on Tuesday, calling for renewed IAEA cooperation and direct US engagement backed by the E3.

The comments by Mehdi Fazaeli, a political analyst and member of the Office for the Preservation and Publication of the Works of the Supreme Leader, were a rare nod to the idea of dialogue with Tehran's arch-enemy from the theocrat's circle.

He is widely regarded as among the few officials authorized to interpret Khamenei's views.

Talks were ended by a surprise Israeli military campaign on Iran in June capped off by US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. The negotiations have not resumed despite US entreaties as Khamenei led senior officials in accusing Washington of perfidy and aggression.

"Negotiations with the United States are not absolutely forbidden, but are only allowed if they are conditional, closely controlled, and in line with the system’s higher interests," Fazaeli told a diplomacy forum at Baqir al-Ulum University in the holy city of Qom, describing Khamenei's position. "No strategic trust in the United States exists."

"The Supreme Leader does not reject negotiations per se," he added, "but evaluates them based on their purpose and framework. Negotiations that imply retreat are unacceptable, but controlled, intelligent talks aimed at averting threats are permissible."

Despite what he described as deep strategic mistrust, Fazaeli said Khamenei has at times allowed narrow, issue-specific contacts “to safeguard higher national interests,” citing earlier talks on Iraq, Afghanistan and the nuclear issues.

Khamenei, 86, came out strongly against renewing talks with the United States after the June war killed hundreds of military personnel and civilians. Iranian counterattacks had killed 32 Israeli civilians and an off-duty soldier.

"The Americans sometimes say they would like to cooperate with Iran. Cooperation with Iran is not possible as long as the United States continues to support the accursed Zionist regime, maintains military bases, and interferes in the region," he said in a speech earlier this month.

US President Donald Trump said last month that the United States was ready to reach a deal “when Tehran is ready,” saying “the hand of friendship and cooperation is open.”

The United States wants Iran to halt domestic enrichment and rein in its missile program and support for armed allies in the region.

Tehran denies seeking a nuclear weapon citing a religious decree by Khamenei, rejects giving up its nuclear activities and has said discussions on its defense posture are a non-starter.

Fazaeli said Khamenei’s order against nuclear arms “is a ruling that remains fixed and cannot be changed,” adding that it bars “production, stockpiling and use”

The UN nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday it had not been able to check Iran’s enriched uranium stock for five months because Tehran has not allowed inspectors to reach the seven sites bombed in June. It said verification is “long overdue” and that it has lost “continuity of knowledge” of Iran’s nuclear material.

Before the attacks, inspectors had confirmed Iran held about 440 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote to UN chief António Guterres on Wednesday saying Trump publicly admitted to directing Israel’s initial strikes on Iran, demanding the United Nations extract reparations from Washington.

Abolfazl Shekarchi said the late Revolutionary Guard commander Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, widely regarded as the father of Iran’s ballistic-missile program and killed in a 2011 explosion at an IRGC base west of Tehran, had “carried the wish to see Israel wiped out,” adding: “With God’s help, this wish will be fulfilled.”

He said Iran’s aerospace forces grow “more powerful by the day” and insisted the Islamic Republic becomes stronger when its commanders are killed.

“We never become weak — with every martyr we become more steadfast,” he said.

Other senior commanders used the same gathering to revisit the twelve day June war with Israel. Deputy IRGC chief Ali Fadavi said “all the world stood with Israel but they did not succeed,” adding that Iran had “acted on its duty” during the fighting and that “when duties are carried out, the promises of God are fulfilled.”

Vahid Azizi, head of parliament’s national security committee, said Tehran viewed the conflict as “an opportunity to understand the shortcomings and the needs” and as a chance to “prepare for what may come next.”

Growing signals of a new confrontation

The messaging reflects broader signals in Tehran, where several officials have spoken more openly in recent weeks about the prospect of fresh fighting with Israel. Some have said Iran is ready for “all scenarios” as political and military rhetoric intensifies.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset this week that Iran “remains a threat,” yet was weakened in the June war. He said Israel had “distanced and neutralized the nuclear threat and the ballistic threat alike” and warned that any next clash would be “much more aggressive” and could last far longer than twelve days.

The reports said the test is part of a technical review of the Cell Broadcasting system used to warn residents during earthquakes, floods and other emergencies. Officials said the alerts will appear automatically on some phones, may include sound and vibration, and require no action from the public. They stressed the exercise does not reflect any real threat.

The test follows weeks of warnings from senior figures in Tehran. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the country expects “any aggressive act” from Israel and is preparing for all scenarios, while former parliament speaker Ali Larijani said the war “is not over.” In Israel, former intelligence officials have also warned of a second round of fighting.

Tehran council chief says only 'special places' have new shelters

The drill comes as Tehran’s city council chief Mehdi Chamran said no new public shelters had been built for civilians, saying only “in special places” had new structures been prepared. “It is not necessary to say where,” he told the council, adding that the locations were not intended to be publicly disclosed.

Chamran said some metro stations were designed as shelters, including for chemical incidents, and were inspected during the twelve-day June war with Israel. He said work to complete these areas was ongoing, while stressing that he hoped no conflict would erupt.

His remarks echoed earlier comments from Iran’s passive defense agency, which said most residents would still rely on metro stations, underground car parks and basements in an emergency. The agency noted that limits on services and sanitation prevent the wider use of metro stations as full shelters.

During the June conflict, senior Iranian officials, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, took cover in secure underground sites, while ordinary residents had no designated public shelters, prompting criticism. Tehran council members later admitted that no citywide shelter plan had been built in the past decades.