Abbas Araghchi made the comments in a recent interview with Financial Times (FT).
He stressed to the FT that ‘the road to negotiation is narrow’ as he lays out conditions for renewed diplomacy after war.
The US must agree to compensate Iran for losses incurred during last month’s war, the Islamic republic’s foreign minister said, as Tehran hardens its position and imposes new conditions for resuming nuclear talks with the Trump administration.
The minister further said that Iran would not agree to “business as usual” in the wake of the 12-day conflict with Israel, which the US briefly joined despite having been in talks with Iran.
“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.”
Araghchi, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, said he and US envoy Steve Witkoff exchanged messages with each other during and since the war, with the Iranian telling the American there needed to be a “win-win solution” to resolve the years-long stand-off over Iran’s nuclear programme.
“The road to negotiation is narrow but it’s not impossible. I need to convince my hierarchy that if we go for negotiation, the other side is coming with real determination for a win-win deal,” he said.
Araghchi said Witkoff has tried to convince him that it is possible and has proposed resuming talks. But the veteran Iranian diplomat added, “We need real confidence-building measures from their side.”
He said this should include financial compensation, without giving details, and assurances that Iran would not be attacked during negotiations again.
“My message [to Witkoff] is not that complicated,” Araghchi said. “I said the recent aggression proved there is no military solution for Iran’s nuclear programme, but a negotiated solution can be found.”
Araghchi said a third, new enrichment plant near Isfahan — which Tehran had days before the conflict said would be activated in response to censure by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors — was also attacked.
“As far as I know, the preparations were made [for enrichment], but it was not active when it was attacked,” Araghchi said.
In a sign of the challenges facing the resumption of diplomacy, he said the war had fostered mounting resistance to negotiations within Iran’s ruling establishment.
The minister insisted the Islamic Republic was committed to a peaceful, civilian programme, would not change its doctrine and would abide by a two-decade old fatwa issued by Leade of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei forbidding the development of nuclear weapons.
But Araghchi said the war had only deepened distrust of US President Donald Trump, who during his first term abandoned a 2015 deal Iran signed with the Obama administration and other world powers.
“Anti-negotiation feelings are very high,” Araghchi said. “People are telling me, ‘Don’t waste your time anymore, don’t be cheated by them . . . if they come to negotiations it’s only a cover-up for their other intentions.’”
Araghchi reiterated there could be no deal as long as Trump demanded Iran agree to zero enrichment, but said Washington should address its concerns through negotiations.
“We can negotiate, they can present their argument and we will present our own argument,” Araghchi said. “But with zero enrichment, we don’t have a thing.”
Araghchi hit out at the UK, France and Germany, European signatories to the 2015 accord, who have warned they would trigger a “snapback” mechanism to reinstate UN sanctions at the end of August if Tehran does not resume negotiations with Washington and co-operation with the IAEA.
Araghchi said Tehran would end talks with the European powers if they did, accusing them of failing to meet their commitments under the 2015 accord.
“With the Europeans, there is no reason right now to negotiate because they cannot lift sanctions, they cannot do anything,” he said. “If they do snapback, that means that this is the end of the road for them.”
MNA