"We cannot give up our enrichment": FM Araghchi says Iran open to talks, firm on nuclear stance
'It is now stopped because, yes, damages are serious and severe, but obviously, we cannot give up our enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists, and now, more than that, it is a question of national pride,' Araghchi told US broadcaster Fox News in an interview aired on Monday.
Araghchi also signaled Iran's willingness to re-engage in diplomacy, saying Iran is 'open to talks' with the United States, though not directly 'for the time being.' According to Al Jazeera, he stated, 'If they [the US] are coming for a win-win solution, I am ready to engage with them.'
'We are ready to do any confidence-building measure needed to prove that Iran's nuclear programme is peaceful and would remain peaceful forever, and Iran would never go for nuclear weapons, and in return, we expect them to lift their sanctions,' the minister added.
'So, my message to the United States is that let's go for a negotiated solution for Iran's nuclear programme,' Araghchi said, according to Al Jazeera.
He also emphasised that there is still a diplomatic path forward: 'There is a negotiated solution for our nuclear programme. We have done it once in the past. We are ready to do it once again.'
As Al Jazeera reported, talks between Tehran and Washington on the nuclear programme were underway earlier this year, following years of tension since Donald Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The deal had allowed for extensive international monitoring of Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.
However, recent developments have strained relations further. On June 13, Israel launched a series of surprise bombing raids targeting Iran's military and nuclear facilities, which led to the deaths of more than 900 people in Iran and at least 28 in Israel before a ceasefire was established on June 24. The US also joined in the attacks, and the Pentagon later said it had set back Iran's nuclear programme by one to two years.
Al Jazeera noted that Araghchi said Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation is still assessing the damage to enriched materials and will 'soon inform' the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of its findings.
'We have not stopped our cooperation with the agency,' he claimed, though he added that any request for IAEA inspectors would be 'carefully considered.'
Inspectors had previously exited Iran after President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a law suspending cooperation with the IAEA. According to Al Jazeera, Iranian officials accused the IAEA of bias following a resolution passed by its board on June 12, which accused Tehran of non-compliance with nuclear obligations. Iran has said this resolution was one of the 'excuses' Israel used to justify its military strikes.
Meanwhile, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric welcomed 'dialogue between the Europeans and the Iranians,' referring to planned talks between Iran, France, Germany, and the UK in Turkiye on Friday, Al Jazeera reported.
European JCPOA signatories have warned that Iran's failure to re-enter negotiations could lead to the reimposition of international sanctions. (ANI)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Athens mayor, Israeli envoy clash over antisemitic graffiti
ATHENS: The mayor of Athens became embroiled in a war of words Sunday with the Israeli ambassador to Greece who accused city authorities of not doing enough to clean up antisemitic graffiti. Ambassador Noam Katz told the Kathimerini daily in comments published Sunday that Israeli tourists felt "uncomfortable" in Athens because the mayor Haris Doukas does not act against "organised minorities" who put up anti-Jewish graffiti. Doukas responded within hours on X: We have proved our strong opposition to violence and racism and we do not take lessons in democracy from those who kill civilians." "Athens, capital of a democratic country, fully respects its visitors and supports the right of free expression of its citizens," the Socialist PASOK party mayor added. "It is revolting that the ambassador concentrates on graffiti (that is clearly wiped off) while an unprecedented genocide is taking place in Gaza," Doukas added. Greece, as well as several other European nations, has seen a number of left-wing led pro-Palestinian demonstrations. A cruise ship carrying Israeli tourists around the Greek islands was greeted by demonstrations in several ports. While following a pro-Arab policy for several decades, Greece has since 2010 stepped up links with Israel, notably on security and energy. Since the Gaza war started in October 2023, with the Hamas attack on Israel, a growing number of Israelis have visited Greece and started investing in its property market. According to the Athens mayor, the number of Israelis who have secured Greek residents permits by buying property increased by 90 percent last year.--AFP
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Thousands protest Gaza war across West Bank cities
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories: Thousands of Palestinians protested in the occupied West Bank's major cities Sunday against the war in Gaza and in support of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. One of the largest marches took place in Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority located just north of Jerusalem, with hundreds gathering at the main square, waving Palestinian flags. Many protesters carried photos of Palestinians killed or imprisoned by Israel, as well as photos depicting the hunger crisis unfolding in the Gaza Strip, where UN-backed experts have warned that a "famine is unfolding." "My son is in (Israel's) Megido prison and he suffers from many things, such as the lack of medicine the lack of food," Rula Ghanem, a Palestinian academic and writer who took part in the march, told AFP. She told AFP that her son had lost 10kg and suffered from scabies in jail. The number of Palestinians jailed by Israel skyrocketed after the start of the war in Gaza, some for violent acts, but some also for posting political statements on social media, the Palestinian Commission of Detainees' and Ex-Detainees' Affairs says. The commission's spokesman Thaer Shriteh told AFP: "The international community is a partner in all this suffering, as long as it does not intervene quickly to save the Palestinian people and save the prisoners inside the prisons and detention centre." A group of protesters dressed as skeletons and carried dolls around to symbolise the Gaza war's dire effect on children, who are most at risk of malnutrition. Israel has heavily restricted the entry of aid into Gaza, which was already under blockade for 15 years before the war began. UN agencies, humanitarian groups and analysts say that much of the trickle of food aid that Israel allows in is looted or diverted in chaotic circumstances. "We hope that our stand today will have an impact in supporting our people in Gaza and the hungry children in Gaza," said 39-year-old Tagreed Ziada, one of the protesters at the Ramallah march. Protests were held Sunday in other major Palestinian cities such as Nablus in the north and Hebron in the south, with many government employees receiving a day off to attend the demonstrations.
New Straits Times
5 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Govt mulls nuclear energy for Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah
KUCHING: The government is studying the possibility of implementing nuclear energy projects in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah due to the high demand for stable energy in both regions, says Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof. Fadillah, who is also the energy transition and water transformation minister, said the suitability of locations near water sources such as rivers, seas or large lakes was a key consideration in the ongoing feasibility study for nuclear plant cooling systems. "For Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah, nuclear projects are viable because what we need now is a constant energy source. "In Sarawak, there is no issue because hydropower already contributes almost 70 per cent, while in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah, hydropower resources are not as abundant due to their heavier reliance on gas and diesel, which are still based on non-clean sources," he told reporters after officiating the MUSCS Pickleball Arena here today. He said no final decisions had been made regarding the technology, location or capacity to be used, as the government was still conducting a comprehensive study coordinated by MyPower Corporation, the implementing agency of the National Nuclear Energy Programme. In addition to technical requirements, the study would also examine the most suitable technology, development of local expertise, safety aspects, environmental impact, and the overall financing capability of the project, he said. "All of these aspects must be carefully assessed. "Only when we are satisfied and the public accepts the use of nuclear energy will we proceed to finalise the implementation… our projection is that the earliest it could be implemented is within the next 10 years," he said. He said the government was also exploring new technologies such as small modular reactors (SMRs) and was planning several working visits abroad to identify the best, safest, and most cost-effective technologies for Malaysia. "That's why I visited Russia and France, and God willing, I will also visit South Korea, Japan, China, and finally the United States," he said. Yesterday, the ministry said nuclear energy development was being studied as a clean, stable and competitive energy source for Malaysia's future, with a gradual approach based on International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) guidelines.
