Iran says no dialogue without US pledge to stop aggression

Iran is ready to engage with the US diplomatically. That is, if the US guarantees that it will not launch another military strike during those negotiations, said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in an interview with French newspaper Le Monde, on Saturday, July 12.

“Diplomacy is a two-way street. It was the US that broke off negotiations and resorted to military action. Therefore, it is crucial for the US to accept responsibility for its mistakes and to demonstrate a clear change in behavior. We need assurances that the US will refrain from military attacks during any future discussions,” Araghchi demanded.

The US joined the Israeli war on Iran last month, bombing three of its nuclear sites on June 22. The US supported the Israeli war against Iran despite its ongoing indirect negotiations over its nuclear program under Omani mediation.

Over 1,000 Iranians, including some nuclear scientists and top military generals were killed in those attacks which also targeted hospitals, TV channels, and the homes of ordinary civilians, in various Iranian cities.

Read more: Trump announces ceasefire after Iran’s retaliatory attack on largest US military base in West Asia

Araghchi refuted accusations by Israel and the US that Iran has a clandestine nuclear weapons program and was on the verge of making a weapon. He cited how Iran’s nuclear program has been under consistent and intensive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“The attack on [Iran’s] nuclear facilities monitored by the IAEA coupled with the failure of Western countries to condemn it, represents an assault on the foundations of international law, particularly the non-proliferation regime,” Araghchi reiterated.

Araghchi emphasized that for any talks to continue in the future, the US has to accept responsibility for all its actions against Iran. Any attempt to impose further sanctions or initiate military action will severely undermine its chances at diplomacy.

Araghchi also cautioned European powers, particularly the three signatories of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), asking them to abandon their anti-Iran approach. He warned that further attempts by them to invoke “snapback” sanctions would be “tantamount to a military attack and would essentially negate Europe’s role in discussions concerning Iran’s peaceful nuclear program”.

Iran seeks respect for international law

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian made similar assertions during his interview with US podcaster and commentator Tucker Carlson last week.

Answering Carlson’s question about his country’s readiness to resume negotiations with the US, Pezeshkian had said that Iran is ready for talks provided there is trust in the process. He made it clear that “the zionist regime should not be allowed [by the US] to attack again in the middle of the negotiations”.

Pezeshkian told Carlson that Iran seeks nothing more than “respect for international laws” and the protection of its rights under those laws.

Russia accuses Western media of smear campaign

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry on Sunday called the reports in Western media a “politicized smear campaign”, after claims that President Vladimir Putin urged Iran to agree to a zero-enrichment nuclear deal with the US.

Russia is one of the signatories of the JCPOA and has been supportive of Iran’s claims of its right to nuclear enrichment. Iran has extensively coordinated with Russia during its five rounds of talks with the US, before the Israeli attacks.

Quoting unnamed sources, Axios reported on Saturday that Putin told both Iran and the US that Russia supports a nuclear agreement between the two countries, in which Iran completely stops enrichment at home, as has been demanded by the Israelis and the US government. The report has since been reproduced by several other media organizations.

Iran has maintained that it does not want to develop nuclear weapons. However, it has also underlined that its right to have a peaceful nuclear program under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is non-negotiable and it will not agree to halt enrichment at home.

The Axios report “is apparently yet another politicized smear campaign meant to escalate tensions around the Iranian nuclear program,” said the Russian ministry in the statement, claiming that Russia has repeatedly emphasized resolving the issue through political and diplomatic means.

Russia also advised the media to “cite official sources of information, explore topics, and refrain from publishing fake news”.