Foreign Minister Araghchi Says US Is Not Ready For Equal And Fair Negotiations With Iran

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. (Wikimedia Commons/Mehr News Agency/Hamed Michelpour)

JAKARTA - Foreign Minister Abbasiechi said on Sunday Washington's current approach to Tehran showed no readiness for "equivalent and fair negotiations" with Iran, after US President Donald Trump signaled potential discussions last week.

Tehran and Washington underwent five rounds of indirect nuclear negotiations before the 12-day war, but faced obstacles such as the issue of domestic uranium enrichment, which the US wants Iran to release.

Following Israel's attack on Iran in June, which was followed by a US attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, efforts to update dialogue over Tehran's nuclear program have failed.

"The US cannot hope to get what it cannot in the war through negotiations," Foreign Minister Araghchi said at a conference in Tehran entitled "international law is under attack" as reported by Al Arabiya from Reuters on November 17.

"Iran will always be ready to engage in diplomacy, but not negotiations meant to dictate," he added.

At the same conference, Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh accused Washington of pursuing its wartime goals with "negotiations as a show."

It is known that the US, its allies in Europe, and Israel accuse Tehran of using its nuclear program as a cover for efforts to develop weapons manufacturing capabilities. Instead, Iran said its nuclear program was only for peaceful purposes.