Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to these demands at length interview on nowFriday’s “Morning Joe” discusses recent talks with the United States in Geneva.
“The only thing I have to stress is that there is no military solution to Iran’s nuclear program,” Araqchi said. “This was tested last year, and there was a major attack on our facilities. They killed and assassinated our scientists, but they could not eliminate our nuclear program.”
After his strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites in June, Trump claimed to have “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program and enrichment capabilities. But less than a year later, he is again threatening a much larger attack on Iran using the same justification.
Iranian Masoud Pezeshkian He insisted Earlier this week, he declared that his country was “absolutely not seeking nuclear weapons” and called on international inspectors to verify this. Meanwhile, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei did so repeat Iran has the right to have a nuclear industry.
“If they want a solution to Iran’s nuclear program, if they want to ensure that Iran’s nuclear program remains peaceful forever, the only solution is diplomatic negotiations,” Araqchi said on Friday.
Although Iran Allowed In pursuit of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Trump has publicly declared that he will not accept an agreement that allows “any enrichment” by Iran.
But Araqchi said this is not what the behind-the-scenes discussion looks like. He added: “The American side did not ask not to enrich at all.”
Instead, he said they discussed “political commitments and technical measures” to “ensure that this program is for peaceful purposes only,” and said the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear regulatory body, was involved in helping draft it.
“This is what we actually did in 2015,” Araqchi said, referring to the first nuclear agreement between Iran and the United States, which Trump tore up during his first term, even though Iran was… Compliance With strict enrichment limits. “I think we can do it again, and maybe better,” he added.
Although the US President to caution On Thursday, Araqchi said Iran must agree to a deal within 10 days or “bad things will happen,” and said there was no “ultimatum” from Trump and that the only discussion between the two sides was about how to reach a “quick agreement.”
“We are subject to sanctions. It is clear that the sooner the sanctions are lifted will be better for us. So we have no reason to delay a possible agreement,” Araqchi said. He added, “For the American side as well, President Trump and his team are interested in reaching an agreement quickly. So we agreed to work with each other to reach an agreement as soon as possible. The only question is how to make it a fair agreement, a win-win deal, a fair deal.”
Trump also called on Iran to abandon its ballistic missile program and support for its regional allies in Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen, which Iran said was futile. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged Trump to continue pushing these extreme demands, and has been accused of trying to push the United States into war with its number one adversary by injecting “poison pills” into the negotiations.
Araqchi did not clarify the extent to which these demands had become sticking points during the recent talks.
Araqchi said: “I know that the agreement is enforceable, but it must be fair and based on a win-win solution.” “[A] The military option will only complicate the matter, and will only lead to dire consequences, not only for us, but perhaps for the entire region, and for the entire international community, which is tired of escalation and various wars in our region and beyond.
Shortly after Araghchi’s interview aired, Trump said He said He told reporters he was considering a military strike to force Iran to reach an agreement.
“I think I can say I’m thinking about it,” he said at the beginning of a meeting with state governors at the White House.
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