The US on Friday downplayed Iran's call for financial compensation as a pre-condition to return to talks over its nuclear program. It called the request “ridiculous” and urged the regime in Tehran to use the “short window of opportunity.”
US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on Friday, “Any demands for financial compensation from the United States to the Iranian regime are ridiculous.”
He said, “If the Iranian regime really wanted to save money... they would stop wasting money on their nuclear program, they would stop sending money to terrorist death squads across the region, they would stop oppressing their own people.”
“Iran has a short window of opportunity, but the ball is in Iran's court,” Pigott said. “We're waiting to see what they do.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the Financial Times on Thursday that Washington must accept responsibility for the attacks and provide financial redress before nuclear negotiations could resume.
“They should explain why they attacked us in the middle of...negotiations, and they have to ensure that they are not going to repeat that [during future talks],” he said in an interview in Tehran. “And they have to compensate [Iran for] the damage that they have done.”
US Pressure
Pigott’s remarks came after the US Treasury Department on Wednesday announced fresh sanctions on over 115 Iran-linked individuals, entities and vessels, in a sign the Trump administration is doubling down on its “maximum pressure” campaign after bombing Tehran's key nuclear sites in June.
Also, Washington sanctioned five entities and one individual based in Iran, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong that have been involved in the procurement of technology and equipment in support of Iran's unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) program.
The sanctions broadly target the shipping interests of Mohammad Shamkhani, widely known as “Hector,” one of biggest oil traders in Iran, and he owns a group of companies active in the Iranian oil trade. He is also involved in the management of the network’s illicit activities through various companies.
Meanwhile, Iran has rejected accusations of attempted “assassinations and kidnappings” abroad made by the United States and more than a dozen Western allies, calling them “baseless.”
In a statement, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai said these accusations were “an attempt to divert public attention from the most urgent issue at the moment, namely the genocide in occupied Palestine,” he said, referring to the war in the Gaza Strip.
On Thursday, Canada, the US and many of their NATO allies released a joint statement condemning a “growing number” of state threats from Iranian intelligence services.
The joint statement said the countries are united in their opposition to attempts to “kill, kidnap and harass” people in North America and Europe.
The statement was also signed by the governments of Albania, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
The statement did not cite any specific incidents but said the attacks violate the countries' sovereignty and calls on Iranian authorities to “immediately” put an end to illegal activities.
City of Ghosts
Meanwhile in Iran, the country's powerful institutions are keen to send political messages of resilience despite the outcome of the recent 12-day war between Iran and Israel.
Friday prayer leader of Tehran, Ahmad Khatami has warned Israel against launching a new act of aggression on Iran, saying that Tel Aviv would be turned into “a ghost town” if Iran is attacked again.
“If you violate the ceasefire or repeat your madness, we will crush Israel with a devastating operation and turn Tel Aviv into a ghost town,” he said.
