Iran’s parliament has declared that no new nuclear negotiations with the United States can take place unless unspecified preconditions are fully met, following recent military strikes by the US and Israel on Iranian nuclear facilities.
“When the US use negotiations as a tool to deceive Iran and cover up a sudden military attack by the Zionist regime (Israel), talks cannot be conducted as before,” the Iranian parliament said in a statement reported by state media on Wednesday. “Preconditions must be set and no new negotiations can take place until they are fully met.”
Although the statement did not specify what those preconditions were, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has previously said that Tehran would require guarantees against any further attacks on its territory.
Last month, the US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, which they claimed were part of a weapons development programme. Tehran has repeatedly denied those allegations, insisting that its nuclear activities are solely for civilian purposes.
Prior to the 12-day aerial bombardment campaign, Tehran and Washington had engaged in five rounds of indirect talks mediated by Oman. Those talks reportedly stalled over US demands for Iran to halt its domestic uranium enrichment programme.
Araqchi reiterated Iran’s firm position last week, stating: “We will not agree to a nuclear deal that prevents us from enriching uranium, and we will not enter negotiations about non-nuclear matters such as our ballistic missile programme.”
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he was in “no rush” to restart talks with Tehran, declaring that Iran’s nuclear sites were now “obliterated”. However, Washington—alongside France, the UK and Germany—has set the end of August as a deadline for a new agreement.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot warned on Tuesday that Paris, London and Berlin would trigger the United Nations sanctions snapback mechanism by the end of August if there is no concrete progress toward a deal. The mechanism would restore international sanctions on Iran, which were lifted under the 2015 nuclear agreement.
Boluwatife Enome
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