Tehran has ruled out the resumption of diplomatic negotiations with Washington unless the United States pledges to end further military strikes on Iranian territory, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC late Sunday.
In the interview, Takht-Ravanchi confirmed that the U.S. had indicated its willingness to return to the negotiating table, just a week after carrying out coordinated airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities—Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan—on June 21.
“We have not agreed to any date, we have not agreed to the modality,” Takht-Ravanchi stated.
“Right now we are seeking an answer to this question: Are we going to see a repetition of an act of aggression while we are engaging in dialogue?”
He added that the United States must be “quite clear on this very important question” before any diplomatic engagement can proceed.
Tensions between Tehran and Washington have intensified in the wake of a joint Israeli-American military operation that targeted Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and military assets earlier this month.
While Israel has long asserted that Iran is on the brink of developing a nuclear weapon, Tehran maintains its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.
Takht-Ravanchi disclosed that the U.S. had privately conveyed it does “not want to engage in regime change” and had refrained from targeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
However, the deputy minister reiterated Iran’s insistence on retaining its right to enrich uranium.
“The level of that can be discussed, the capacity can be discussed, but to say that you should not have enrichment, you should have zero enrichment, and if you do not agree, we will bomb you, that is the law of the jungle,” he warned.
The extent of damage from the June 21 strikes remains unclear. U.S. President Donald Trump declared the sites were “totally obliterated,” though independent verification is pending. Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), recently noted that Iran could potentially resume enriched uranium production “in a matter of months.”
Takht-Ravanchi admitted he could not confirm a timeline.
Under the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was permitted to enrich uranium at levels below 3.67 percent for civilian energy use. However, after the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018, Iran began enriching uranium to 60 percent purity—far exceeding civilian thresholds, though still below the 90 percent needed for weapons-grade material.
Experts warn that if further refined, Iran’s stockpile could yield enough material for more than nine nuclear weapons.
AFP
