Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared Saturday that the Islamic Republic has no intention of engaging in direct negotiations with the United States over its nuclear or missile programs, and will continue enriching uranium.
“We will never negotiate our missile program, and no rational actor would disarm. We cannot stop uranium enrichment, and what cannot be achieved by war cannot be achieved through politics,” Araghchi told Al Jazeera.
While rejecting direct talks, Araghchi said Tehran is open to indirect negotiations. “We are ready to negotiate to remove concerns about our nuclear program and are confident in its peaceful nature. Reaching a fair agreement is possible, but Washington has proposed unacceptable and impossible conditions,” he added.
Araghchi also addressed the aftermath of the war in June, during which Israeli forces launched a series of strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, followed by US attacks using B-2 bombers and Tomahawk missiles.
“Nuclear materials remained under the rubble of the attacked nuclear facilities and were not transferred elsewhere. The technology exists, despite the losses,” he said.
“Tehran is prepared for all possibilities and expects any aggressive behavior from Israel,” Araghchi warned.
He also condemned the reactivation of the “snapback” sanctions mechanism, calling it illegal. The sanctions, reimposed in September, followed failed negotiations between Iran and the E3 countries - Britain, France, and Germany - who triggered the “snapback” mechanism in the 2015 nuclear deal.
Tehran and Washington held five rounds of indirect nuclear negotiations, mediated by Oman, which ended following the 12-day air war in June.
Araghchi has consistently said that Tehran will not return to negotiations with the United States as long as Washington continues to make what he called “unreasonable demands”.