Iran Rules Out Talks with US
By Staff, Agencies
Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei says that the three European countries’ approach to the nuclear issue altered the course of future talks, adding that Tehran has no plans to hold talks with the US at the current stage.
Speaking at his weekly presser on Monday, Baghaei slammed the recent behavior of the three European countries involved in the nuclear talks, describing their stance as “irresponsible and obstructive.”
He said the European troika [UK, France, and Germany] misused the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA’s] dispute resolution mechanism to impose US demands on the UN Security Council, while their preconditions for Iran’s participation in negotiations were entirely unreasonable.
According to the spokesman, Iran engaged in constructive dialogue with the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] under its safeguard commitments and reached a new cooperation framework that satisfied the Agency. Although initially welcomed by Europe, the three countries later withdrew their support.
“Due to their unreasonable conditions, the Europeans failed to fulfill their role as negotiation partners,” the spokesman noted, adding that “future negotiations will certainly differ from the past.”
He said the three European countries acted out of stubborn obedience to US demands, ignoring legal considerations and their own interests and credibility as JCPOA parties.
He added that Iran’s stance is backed by China and Russia, noting Moscow quickly condemned the move as illegal, and Iran formally protested the UN Secretariat’s actions at the Security Council.
Baghaei stressed that the European trio’s move creates no legal obligation for UN members and urged countries to reject the unlawful action to uphold UN Charter principles.
The senior Iranian diplomat noted the Iranian delegation's recent visit to New York, highlighting a key meeting with the UN Secretary-General where they had “frank and detailed discussions” about the European trio’s misuse of the Security Council and JCPOA mechanism, calling the move illegitimate.
He explained that past nuclear-related resolutions were adopted with consensus or no opposition from permanent Security Council members. Now, with at least two opposing the sanctions snapback, there’s no legal basis—making the European trio’s move a unilateral action.
"According to Resolution 2231, all restrictions related to Iran’s nuclear program were supposed to expire by October 18, and the nuclear issue should be removed from the Council’s agenda," he emphasized.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the senior Iranian diplomat also addressed the June attacks by "Israel" and the US, holding both fully responsible for the illegal strikes on Iran’s peaceful nuclear sites and territorial integrity.
He said the IAEA report was misused by the US and three European countries to justify their actions, despite no evidence of Iran diverting from a peaceful nuclear path. He added the Agency should have condemned the US and "Israeli" attacks.
He added that IAEA resolutions and the UN General Assembly prohibit attacks on peaceful nuclear sites, expressing hope that recent events will be a lesson to prevent political misuse of the Agency’s technical authority.
Baghaei reiterated Iran’s call for the IAEA to stick to its technical mandate and avoid taking positions that appear influenced by the US or Western powers.
Baghaei told reporters that Iran currently has no plans to negotiate with the US, focusing instead on assessing the actions of the European trio and Washington. He added that diplomacy continues through consultations, and any future talks will depend on Iran’s national interests.
He noted US officials’ pride in illegal actions against Iran only heightens US international responsibility, adding, "Acknowledging illegal actions does not lend any legitimacy to the US, but reaffirms it as a law-breaking actor."
