Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stressed on Sunday that no solution exists for Iran’s nuclear program other than a diplomatic and negotiated one, also warning that military threats could not resolve crises.
The FM was speaking at a meeting with ambassadors, chargés d'affaires, and heads of foreign and international missions based in Tehran, to discuss the impacts of the UN sanctions re-imposed on Iran in September.
Araghchi said the activation of the Snapback Mechanism has changed the rules of the diplomatic game and made future negotiations with the West more difficult and complex.
The Iranian top diplomat said his meeting with the foreign diplomats aims to present the risks that could result from the move.
The UN sanctions on Iran were reinstated on September 28 after the UK, France, and Germany (the E3) triggered the snapback mechanism under the 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA).
Tehran has made efforts to reach a fair and balanced negotiated solution, said Araghchi. However, he added, it was the Western countries that responded negatively to the efforts due to their excessive and unreasonable demands.
The FM also noted that it has been proven that there is no solution for Iran’s nuclear program other than a diplomatic and negotiated one.
In recent years, Araghchi said, Iran has been threatened with military action on several occasions, and even at times those threats were attempted, but it became clear that the Iranian issue could not be resolved through military means.
“The three European countries believed they had achieved a new pressure tool and assumed that by threatening to implement it, they could exert influence over Iran,” the top diplomat said. “However, after activating the sanctions, those countries saw that no change occurred. The only result was the weakening of the diplomatic process.”
Commenting on his expectations for the upcoming phase, the foreign minister said diplomacy never ceases and always remains present. However, he affirmed, the current conditions are entirely different from the past and the three European countries have clearly weakened their role in the diplomatic process.
US Conditions
Last Thursday, The Washington Post quoted a US official briefed on the Trump administration policy as saying that Washington’s pressure is intended to encourage Iran to accept four stringent conditions as a baseline for new negotiations.
The official said the talks must be “meaningful” and direct, Tehran must agree to zero enrichment of nuclear material and curbs to its missile program, and it must cease funding its proxy forces.
In response to the Washington Post article, Araghchi said that none of the mentioned conditions had been officially communicated to Tehran.
He said that in recent months, Iran’s talks with the US had been limited to the nuclear issue, conducted indirectly through messages and intermediaries.
In these exchanges, the top diplomat said no other topic had been discussed.
Araghchi noted that his Ministry would continue its efforts to advance diplomacy, adding that, from Iran’s perspective, the role of diplomacy can never be eliminated or ignored.
The End of Cairo Agreement
Commenting on Iran’s agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Cairo last month, Araghchi said Iran had established a new framework for cooperation with the agency.
He explained that this change was necessary due to recent developments, particularly the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, which made continued cooperation under the previous framework unfeasible.
Araghchi also said the security threats and safety concerns arising from the attack necessitated a redefinition of the cooperation framework.
He said the IAEA had agreed to this new approach, leading to several rounds of negotiations and ultimately resulting in the Cairo agreement.
One of the three conditions set in the Cairo agreement was to allow inspectors to access Iranian nuclear sites.
Araghchi said under the current circumstances, the Cairo agreement could no longer serve as a viable basis for cooperation with the agency.
He said Iran would soon announce its new decision regarding its relation with the IAEA.
