In a high-stakes diplomatic meeting, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, condemned recent attacks on the country’s nuclear facilities by the “Israeli regime and the United States” as a dark and dangerous chapter in the history of nuclear non-proliferation.
Araghchi leveled the accusation during talks on Wednesday with his counterparts from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the European Union’s foreign policy chief. The meeting, held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, aimed to address what Iranian officials have consistently labeled as baseless Western allegations against Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program.
The Foreign Minister was referring to what he denounced as criminal strikes carried out from June 13 to 25, which he stated targeted nuclear facilities and claimed the lives of Iranian scientists, military commanders, and civilians, including children.
Araghchi pointed to a recent framework agreement between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as a testament to Iran’s “goodwill” and a “practical step” to eliminate doubts about its nuclear activities. He emphasized that this deal was necessitated by the new circumstances created by the attacks, which had made it impossible for the IAEA to continue inspections as before.
However, the minister stressed the need for “reciprocal and responsible measures” from the European parties in return for Iran’s positive cooperation. This meeting came despite the E3 nations having recently triggered the “snapback” mechanism in August, seeking a reinstatement of sanctions over what Iran calls unverified concerns.
The Islamic Republic has firmly rejected these allegations, citing the IAEA’s consistent failure to find any evidence of wrongdoing. Iranian officials have warned that any potential reinstatement of sanctions would jeopardize the newly struck agreement with the IAEA, undoing diplomatic progress and escalating tensions further.
Source: Iranian media (edited by Al-Manar English Website)
