Raisi Ready for Vienna Talks But Without Examining Regional Influence, Ballistic Missile Program

 Iran’s Foreign Minister-designate speaks to members of Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee (Khaneh Mellat)
Iran’s Foreign Minister-designate speaks to members of Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee (Khaneh Mellat)
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Raisi Ready for Vienna Talks But Without Examining Regional Influence, Ballistic Missile Program

 Iran’s Foreign Minister-designate speaks to members of Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee (Khaneh Mellat)
Iran’s Foreign Minister-designate speaks to members of Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee (Khaneh Mellat)

The new Raisi administration in Iran is preparing to return to nuclear talks without the thought of presenting any concessions that would encourage Washington to extend or expand the deal so that it tackles the cleric-led country’s ballistic missiles program and regional interferences.

On Sunday, Tehran lawmaker Esmaeil Kousari said that under President Ebrahim Raisi, the new government will continue “holding negotiations” but “without giving any compromises.”

“If nuclear weapons are bad, they should be considered as bad for all countries, including the US,” said Kousari, who is also a prominent figure from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

“They tell us to quit our influence in the region and not to have missiles(…) If it were decided for us not to have these missiles, then they must not have them either,” argued Kousari in a statement to government website “Asr Iran.”

Kousari moved on to clarify that halting nuclear talks is not planned and stressed that “negotiations will take place.”

“However, if they don’t want to treat us fairly, we won’t accept,” said the legislator.

Kousari’s statements come when parliament is looking to deliberate over the cabinet list submitted by Raisi, which introduces Hossein Amir Abdollahian, a diplomat who is close to the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, as Iran’s next foreign minister.

Before Raisi named Abdollahian as his pick for foreign minister, the veteran diplomat had held a two-hour discussion session with the EU point man on the Vienna nuclear talks, Enrique Mora. The session was held on the sidelines of the inauguration ceremony of Raisi.

After meeting Mora, Abdollahian tweeted that “negotiating with the US was never forbidden, but that the problem rather lies in the US’ bullying.”

Abdollahian also emphasized that “timing and force” are the two main pillars of any diplomatic negotiation.

In his tweet, the Foreign Minister-designate attached a photo from the 2006-2007 rare US-Iran talks over the war in Iraq.



White House: Trump to Decide on US Action in Israel-Iran Conflict Within 2 Weeks

First responders inspect a heavily-damaged building at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba in southern Israel following an Iranian missile attack on June 19, 2025. (Photo by MAYA LEVIN / AFP)
First responders inspect a heavily-damaged building at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba in southern Israel following an Iranian missile attack on June 19, 2025. (Photo by MAYA LEVIN / AFP)
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White House: Trump to Decide on US Action in Israel-Iran Conflict Within 2 Weeks

First responders inspect a heavily-damaged building at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba in southern Israel following an Iranian missile attack on June 19, 2025. (Photo by MAYA LEVIN / AFP)
First responders inspect a heavily-damaged building at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba in southern Israel following an Iranian missile attack on June 19, 2025. (Photo by MAYA LEVIN / AFP)

The White House said on Thursday that President Donald Trump will make a decision on whether the US will get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict in the next two weeks.

Citing a message from Trump, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters: "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks."

Trump said Wednesday he doesn’t want to carry out a US strike on Iran but suggested he stands ready to act if it’s necessary to extinguish Iran’s nuclear program.

Russia warned the US against entering the Israel-Iran conflict.

“US military interference would be an extremely dangerous step with truly unpredictable negative consequences,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.

The comments come after Iran’s state media said the country’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with European counterparts in Geneva on Friday.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot did not confirm the Geneva meeting.

The message from Iranian authorities was “relatively clear: there is a willingness to resume talks, including with the United States, provided that a ceasefire can be reached,” Barrot told a news conference in Paris.

Barrot said that France and Europeans partners are ready to “resume negotiations” with Iran.