With tensions escalating amid the intensifying conflict between Israel and Iran, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, while speaking during an interview with state TV broadcaster on Friday, rejected any nuclear negotiations with the United States, news agency AFP reported, as the renewed fighting between the two archrivals entered its second week.
“The Americans have repeatedly sent messages calling seriously for negotiations. But we have made clear that as long as the aggression does not stop, there will be no place for diplomacy and dialogue,” AFP quoted the chief diplomat as saying during talks with his European counterparts in Geneva.
Earlier this week, Reuters had reported, quoting an unnamed German official, that foreign ministers from Germany, France and the UK would hold talks with Iranian officials as part of the European bloc’s push to end the conflict through diplomacy and ensure that Iran’s nuclear enrichment is strictly for civilian purposes.
“All sides must show restraint, refrain from taking steps that lead to further escalation in the region, and return to diplomacy,” a joint statement by France, Germany, the UK, and the EU read, according to The Associated Press.
A notable absence from these crucial discussions was that of American officials.
On Wednesday, a US official told the AP that there were no plans for American involvement in the nuclear talks scheduled between the EU and Iranian diplomats in Geneva.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, further told the US-based news agency that the Europeans sought to play a role in the negotiations for months but were held back by the US under the Trump administration.
Trump to Make a Decision on Direct Action Against Iran Within Two Weeks
President Donald Trump is expected to make a decision about whether to take direct action against Iran in the next two weeks, the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a briefing on Thursday.
Leavitt told reporters that she had a message directly from Trump in response to speculation about whether he would get directly involved in the Iran-Israel conflict. “Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” Leavitt said of Trump.
Stressing that communication between the US and Iran “has continued”, Leavitt asserted that Iran must agree to no enrichment of uranium and that it must not develop a nuclear weapon as part of any diplomatic agreement.
Responding to a question about a potential US strike on Iran, Trump on Wednesday had said, “I may do it, I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do.”
“I can tell you this, that Iran’s got a lot of trouble. And they want to negotiate. And I say, ‘Why didn’t you negotiate with me before all this death and destruction?'”, Trump quipped as he demanded that Tehran give up its entire nuclear program.
The US president further warned Iran to either make a deal or face dire consequences.
What Led to the Renewal of the Israel-Iran Conflict
On June 13, Israel launched an attack against Iran, carrying out strikes, including against Iran’s state television station. Tehran carried out a retaliatory attack, firing ballistic range missiles at Israel, targeting military and security installations, and reportedly hitting the Haifa oil refinery, a claim Tehran denies.
The two countries have since then exchanged strikes.
Meanwhile, in a separate development, nine European Union countries sent a letter to the European foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, urging action on the bloc’s trade with Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, Reuters reported on Thursday. The letter cited by the news agency was reportedly signed by the foreign ministers of Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden and called for proposals on how to halt the trade deals in question.
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