Iran is not going to retaliate additional in opposition to the US’s strikes on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program or pursue nuclear “militarization,” based on one of many nation’s high diplomats.
“So long as there isn’t any act of aggression being perpetrated by the US in opposition to us, we is not going to reply once more,” Iran’s Deputy International Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi mentioned in an interview with NBC Information that was printed Thursday.
Takht-Ravanchi mentioned that Iran is open to negotiating with the U.S. over its nuclear program, however added that Tehran is not going to cease enriching uranium.
“Our coverage has not modified on enrichment. Iran has each proper to do enrichment inside its territory. The one factor that we’ve to watch is to not go for militarization,” Takht-Ravanchi mentioned.
The U.S. navy bombed Iran’s three important nuclear websites — at Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan — on June 21 after Israel and Iran traded strikes for greater than every week. Iran retaliated, launching an assault on the U.S. navy Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. Iran gave advance discover of the assault and Qatar’s protection programs blocked the strikes. U.S. officers mentioned there have been zero casualties.
President Trump has celebrated the U.S.’s assault, saying the assault “obliterated” Iran’s three nuclear amenities. He and different administration officers have pushed back in opposition to the early, “low confidence” Protection Intelligence Company evaluation that instructed the U.S. navy assault set again Iran’s nuclear program by a matter of months.
The Pentagon suggested on Wednesday that Iran’s nuclear program has been set again a minimum of a yr.
“I believe we’re considering most likely nearer to 2 years, like degraded their program by two years,” Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell informed reporters.
The Israeli strikes and U.S. assault on Iran got here as Washington and Tehran have been negotiating over probably hanging a brand new nuclear settlement. Trump pulled out of the 2015 Obama-negotiated deal in 2018.
“How can we belief the Individuals? We wish them to elucidate as to why they misled us, why they took such an egregious motion in opposition to our individuals,” Iran’s deputy overseas minister mentioned.
Nonetheless, Takht-Ravanchi mentioned Iran is for diplomacy and “for dialogue.” He added that the Trump administration has “to persuade us that they don’t seem to be going to make use of navy power whereas we’re negotiating.”
“That’s a vital ingredient for our management to be able to resolve in regards to the future spherical of talks,” the Iranian diplomat added.
Trump reiterated his want to restart nuclear negotiations with Iran on Thursday.
“We’re not trying to harm them. We’re trying to allow them to be a rustic once more. They obtained beat up. We have been each exhausted, frankly, however Iran actually obtained beat up,” Trump informed reporters. “And in the event that they wish to meet, I do know they wish to meet, and if it’s a necessity, I am going to do it.”