Tehran’s deputy foreign minister told the BBC that the United States must rule out further strikes against Iran.
Majid Takht-Ravanchi said the Trump administration told Iran through mediators that it hopes to return to negotiations, but that it is “very important” when it is “not clear”.
Israel’s military operations began in the early hours of June 13, and two days later, the sixth round will be held in the main indirect negotiations in Muscat.
Last weekend, the United States was directly involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran when it attacked three Iranian nuclear sites.
Takht-Ravanchi also said Iran would “stand” to enrich uranium with what it said was a peaceful purpose, refusing to accuse Iran of secretly moving towards nuclear bomb development.
He said Iran’s research program “rejected to use nuclear materials” and therefore needs to “rely on itself.”
The Deputy Foreign Minister said: “The level of discussion can be discussed, the ability to discuss, but to say you should not have rich concentrations, and should zero richness, if you disagree, we will bomb you – this is the law of the jungle.”
Israel began its attacks on June 13, with attacks on nuclear and military sites as well as assassination commanders and scientists claiming that Tehran is close to building nuclear weapons.
Iran’s response was to attack Israel with missiles. The hostilities lasted 12 days, during which time the United States dropped bombs in three nuclear sites in Iran: Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.
The extent of damage caused by the U.S. strike to Iran’s nuclear program is unclear, and Takht-Ravanchi said he could not make a definite assessment.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi said the strike caused serious but “complete” damage, while U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Iran’s nuclear facilities were “completely covered up”.
Grossi also said Iran has the ability to start enriching uranium again in “months.” In response, Takht-Ravanchi said he didn’t know if that would happen.
Iran’s relationship with the International Atomic Energy Agency has become increasingly tense. On Wednesday, its parliament suspended its cooperation with atomic regulators, accusing the International Atomic Energy Agency of Israel and the U.S. siding.
Trump has said he would “absolutely” consider bombing Iran again if intelligence finds it can enrich uranium to relevant levels.
Takht-Ravanchi said he had no idea what dates might be for the talks after Trump suggested that discussions might be discussed this week.
“Now, we are looking for an answer to this question: Do we see duplication of aggression when we have a conversation?” said Iran’s deputy foreign minister.
He said the United States must be “clear on this very important issue” and “what they will provide us with to make this dialogue require the necessary confidence.”
Asked if Iran could consider rethinking its nuclear program as part of any deal, possibly for sanctions and investments in the country, Takht-Ravanchi said: “Why should we agree to such a proposal?”
He reiterated that Iran’s plan, including enriching uranium to 60%, was “for peaceful purposes.”
Under the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Iran does not allow enrichment of uranium to more than 3.67% – the level required for commercial nuclear power plant fuel – and does not allow any enrichment at its Fordo plant within 15 years.
However, Trump abandoned the deal during his first term of office, saying that halting the path to bombs and restoring U.S. sanctions have little effect.
Iran retaliates through increasingly breach of restrictions, especially those related to enrichment. According to IAEA, it restored Fordo’s enrichment in 2021 and accumulated enough 60% enriched uranium to potentially create nine nuclear bombs.
Takht-Ravanchi lacks trust in European and Western leaders, accusing some of European leaders of their recognition of the “ridiculous” strikes in our and Israel.
He said those who criticized Iran’s nuclear program “should criticize the way we are treated” and criticize the United States and Israel.
He added: “And if they don’t have the guts to criticize the United States, they should remain silent rather than trying to prove aggressive.”
Takht-Ravanchi also said Iran received news through mediators that the United States “don’t want to make regime change in Iran” by targeting the country’s top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Iranians to “rise for their own freedom to lower Khamenei’s instrumental rule, but after the ceasefire reached last week, Trump said he did not want to do so.
Takht-Ravanchi insists that this won’t happen, the idea is “practice with futile”.
He said that while some Iranians “may be criticizing some actions by the government, they will unite to face to face when it comes to foreign aggression.”
The Deputy Foreign Minister said that if the ceasefire with Israel continues, it would be “not very clear”, but Iran will continue to observe “as long as there is no military attack on us.”
He said Iran’s Arab allies in the Persian Gulf are “doing their best to prepare the necessary atmosphere for dialogue.” Qatar is known to play a key role in promoting the current ceasefire.
He added: “We don’t want to fight. We want to have dialogue and diplomacy, but we have to be prepared and we have to be cautious and not be surprised anymore.”
Lyse Doucet was allowed to report to Iran on the condition that there was no report from the BBC’s Persian service. This law by the Iranian authorities applies to all international media organizations carried out in Iran.
