Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, has stated that the US must rule out further military strikes on Iran before diplomatic talks can resume. Here’s a breakdown of the situation :
Condition for Talks.The US needs to clearly state its intention not to conduct further strikes on Iran for talks to restart. Takht-Ravanchi emphasized that Iran wants to engage in dialogue and diplomacy but must be prepared and cautious to avoid being caught off guard again.
Current Situation: Iran-US diplomatic talks were disrupted following Israel’s attacks on Iranian nuclear and military sites on June 13, which led to a 12-day conflict. The US later joined the conflict by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites – Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan – on June 21.
Nuclear Program: Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, while the US and Israel have raised concerns about its potential military applications. Iran has been allowed to enrich uranium below 3.67% purity for commercial nuclear power plants under the 2015 nuclear deal, which the US abandoned in 2018.
Enrichment: Iran has been enriching uranium up to 60%, far above the 3.67% cap set by the 2015 deal. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has amassed enough 60%-enriched uranium to potentially make nine nuclear bombs.
Damage Assessment: The extent of damage caused to Iran’s nuclear facilities is unclear. US President Donald Trump claimed the strikes “totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities, while IAEA head Rafael Grossi said the damage was severe but “not total”.
Future Talks Takht-Ravanchi said no date had been agreed upon for a possible return to talks and he did not know what would be on the agenda. He emphasized that Iran would insist on being able to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes and rejected accusations that Iran was secretly moving towards developing a nuclear bomb.
Takht-Ravanchi also criticized European leaders for justifying US and Israeli strikes, saying they should criticize the way Iran has been treated and the US and Israel’s actions instead ².
