Increasing tensions over nuclear agreement negotiations, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi advocates for discussions on an even playing field.
Araghchi’s comments emerged following President Trump’s recent letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, proposing talks to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Trump escalated the tension last week, stating, “If a deal is not made, military action will be taken.”
Araghchi questioned the sincerity of Washington’s push for talks, stating, “Why threaten if you truly want to negotiate?”
Iran, which insists it is not pursuing nuclear weapons, has previously declined Washington’s advances, yet remains open to indirect diplomacy, as Araghchi reaffirmed in his statement.
Araghchi emphasized that Iran seeks to negotiate with the US on an “equal footing”, pointing out that the US frequently resorts to force in contravention of the UN Charter, and exhibits contradictory stances from its officials.
Escalating Tensions
For decades, Western countries, spearheaded by the US, have accused Iran of aiming to acquire nuclear weapons.
In 2018, during his initial term as president, Trump withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an agreement between Iran and the United Nations Security Council members. The deal provided Iran with sanctions relief in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear activities.
Since then, Iran has purportedly retracted its commitments under the agreement, accumulating enough fissile material for multiple nuclear bombs, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, which conducts inspections on Iranian nuclear sites.
In response to Trump’s threats of military action, Hossein Salami, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, stated on Saturday that the country is “prepared” for conflict.
“We do not fear war at all. We will not start a war, but we are equipped for any confrontation,” the official IRNA news agency quoted Salami as saying.
However, Iran’s regional standing appears weakened amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the broader region, considering Israeli operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon and the destabilization of key ally President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
Iran maintains its nuclear endeavours are strictly for non-military purposes. Israel, the leading US ally in the region, is widely believed to possess an undeclared nuclear stockpile.
