Iran Accuses “Israel” of Sabotaging US Dialogue, Warns of Wider War

By Staff, Agencies

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused "Israel" of deliberately sabotaging a promising diplomatic track between Tehran and Washington, warning that further escalation could risk a region-wide war while calling on the US to prioritize diplomacy over "foreign entanglements."

In a Tuesday Financial Times op-ed, Araghchi said five recent meetings with US envoy Steve Witkoff yielded more progress than years of past Biden-era talks. The discussions covered uranium enrichment, nuclear safeguards, and what he called a “trillion-dollar opportunity” for economic cooperation.

“We were on the cusp of a historic breakthrough,” Araghchi wrote, crediting both sides, as well as mediators like Oman, for offering innovative, mutually beneficial proposals. The Iranian official said Iran was open to economic collaboration that would “electrify the Iranian economy” and help revive struggling American industries, including nuclear energy.

But hopes for progress were dashed, he said, just 48 hours before a scheduled sixth round of talks, when "Israel" launched an unprovoked military assault on Iranian territory.

According to Araghchi, the assault targeted nuclear facilities, hospitals, energy infrastructure, and civilian sites, including homes and prisons, killing academics and their families in what he described as "cowardly acts of aggression". He called the attack a “profound betrayal of diplomacy,” asserting that it clearly demonstrated that “'Israel' prefers conflict over resolution.”

Araghchi noted that Iran responded militarily to the strikes, resisting until "Israel" was forced to rely on US President Donald Trump to end the war. “Our commitment to acting responsibly to avoid a full-scale regional war should not be misinterpreted as weakness,” he warned.

“We will defeat any future attack… and reveal our real capabilities to dispel any illusions about Iran’s power.”

The top diplomat further stated that the diplomatic momentum between Iran and the US was not derailed by Tehran, but by what he called an "ostensible ally" of Washington. He also criticized the US for allowing itself to be “cajoled into undermining international law” by launching its own strikes in the wake of the "Israeli" bombardment.

Although Araghchi acknowledged that Tehran had received recent messages from Washington indicating an interest in returning to talks, he questioned the credibility of such overtures. “How can we trust further engagement?” he asked, citing the US’ unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and the recent attacks by two nuclear-armed militaries.

Iran, he said, remains open to diplomacy but would not agree to what it sees as surrender. “Iranians will never agree to surrender,” he wrote. “Iran is a millennia-old civilization that has overcome countless invasions, emerging stronger each time.”

In a sharp rebuke of US foreign policy, Araghchi warned that Washington was being “pushed towards a wholly avoidable and unwarranted war by a foreign regime that does not share their interests.” He criticized what he called the distortion of Trump’s “America First” doctrine into “'Israel' First,” arguing that it has come at the expense of American lives and taxpayer dollars.

“For diplomacy to succeed,” he concluded, “it must be built on mutual respect. Nor can it survive perpetual sabotage by third parties who fear a resolution.”

Araghchi urged the US to make a fundamental choice: “Will the US finally choose diplomacy? Or will it remain ensnared in someone else’s war?”

Iranian officials confirmed on Tuesday that the United States has conveyed messages expressing interest in resuming nuclear negotiations, but skepticism over Washington’s intentions continues to cloud prospects for renewed diplomacy.

Saeed Khatibzadeh, Assistant to Iran's Foreign Minister, said that Tehran had received several indirect messages from the US in recent days indicating a desire to return to the negotiating table. However, he stressed that meaningful talks require a basic level of trust, something he argued has been undermined by recent hostile actions.

"Negotiations require a minimum level of trust, and the blatant aggression against Iran has practically left no room for it," Khatibzadeh said, referencing what Tehran describes as a US assault on its nuclear facilities.

Despite this, he reaffirmed that diplomacy has "always been the fundamental principle" of Iran’s foreign policy.