Iran’s FM says nuclear enrichment will continue, but open to talks

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says continuing enrichment is simply a substance of ‘national pride’ aft US and Israeli attacks caused ‘serious’ damage.

Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi has said that Tehran cannot springiness up connected its uranium enrichment programme, which was severely damaged by waves of US and Israeli aerial strikes past month.

“It is present stopped because, yes, damages are superior and severe, but obviously, we cannot springiness up our enrichment due to the fact that it is an accomplishment of our ain scientists, and now, much than that, it is simply a question of nationalist pride,” Araghchi told the US broadcaster Fox News successful an interrogation aired connected Monday.

Araghchi said astatine the opening of the interrogation that Iran is “open to talks” with the United States, but that they would not beryllium nonstop talks “for the clip being”.

“If they [the US] are coming for a win-win solution, I americium acceptable to prosecute with them,” helium said.

“We are acceptable to bash immoderate confidence-building measurement needed to beryllium that Iran’s atomic programme is peaceful and would stay peaceful forever, and Iran would ne'er spell for atomic weapons, and successful return, we expect them to lift their sanctions,” the overseas curate added.

“So, my connection to the United States is that let’s spell for a negotiated solution for Iran’s atomic programme.”

Araghchi’s comments were portion of a 16-minute interrogation aired connected Fox News, a broadcaster known to beryllium intimately watched by US President Donald Trump.

“There is simply a negotiated solution for our atomic programme. We person done it erstwhile successful the past. We are acceptable to bash it erstwhile again,” Araghchi said.

Tehran and Washington had been holding talks connected the atomic programme earlier this year, 7 years aft Trump pulled the US retired of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which Tehran signed with respective satellite powers successful 2015. Under the pact, Iran opened the country’s atomic sites to broad planetary inspection successful instrumentality for the lifting of sanctions.

Trump’s determination to propulsion the US retired of the woody came aft Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of pursuing a “secret atomic programme“.

Iran has agelong maintained that its atomic enrichment programme is strictly for civilian purposes.

The US and Iran engaged successful talks arsenic precocious arsenic May to scope a caller deal, but those negotiations broke down erstwhile Israel launched astonishment bombing raids crossed Iran connected June 13, targeting subject and atomic sites.

More than 900 radical were killed successful Iran, and astatine slightest 28 radical were killed successful Israel earlier a ceasefire took clasp connected June 24.

The US besides joined Israel successful attacking Iranian atomic facilities, with the Pentagon aboriginal claiming it had set back the country’s atomic programme by 1 to 2 years.

Araghchi said connected Monday that Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation is inactive evaluating however the attacks had affected Iran’s enriched material, adding that they volition “soon inform” the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of its findings.

He said immoderate petition for the IAEA to nonstop inspectors would beryllium “carefully considered”.

“We person not stopped our practice with the agency,” helium claimed.

IAEA inspectors near Iran aft Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a law suspending practice with the IAEA earlier this month.

Tehran had sharply criticised the IAEA and its chief, Rafael Grossi, implicit a June 12 solution passed by the IAEA committee accusing Tehran of non-compliance with its atomic obligations.

Iranian officials said the solution was among the “excuses” that Israel utilized arsenic a pretext to motorboat its attacks, which began connected June 13 and lasted for 12 days.

Speaking to journalists earlier connected Monday, Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the United Nations secretary-general, said that the UN welcomed renewed “dialogue betwixt the Europeans and the Iranians”, referring to talks acceptable to instrumentality place betwixt Iran, France, Germany and the United Kingdom successful Turkiye connected Friday.

The 3 European parties to the erstwhile JCPOA statement person said that Tehran’s nonaccomplishment to resume negotiations would pb to planetary sanctions being reimposed connected Iran.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies