Tehran: Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said the country still needs more time to decide about the resumption of negotiations with the United States. Araghchi made the remarks in an interview with CBS News in Tehran, which was published on Monday, while commenting on the possibility of restarting the nuclear talks between Iran and the United States.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Araghchi addressed a claim by U.S. President Donald Trump that the negotiations could start as early as this week. He expressed skepticism about the process restarting as quickly as Trump suggested, stating, “In order for us to decide to re-engage, we will have to first ensure that the United States will not revert back to targeting us in a military attack during the negotiations.” Araghchi emphasized the need for more time, but affirmed that “The doors of diplomacy will never slam shut.”
On June 22, U.S. forces bombed the three Iranian nuclear facilities of Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan. In response, Iran carried out an attack on the U.S. Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. This exchange occurred amid ongoing tensions between Iran and Israel, which started on June 13 when Israel launched airstrikes on multiple Iranian cities. A ceasefire was declared between the two sides on June 24.
The Israeli attacks took place shortly before the planned sixth round of indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States regarding Tehran’s nuclear program and the lifting of U.S. sanctions, which were scheduled to occur in Oman’s capital Muscat on June 15.