Araghchi: Relationship with IAEA will not be completely cut

Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Foreign Minister, provided explanations in an interview regarding Iran’s negotiations with the U.S., the European troika, and the IAEA.

The Foreign Minister said that negotiation and diplomacy are less costly and less risky paths, but sometimes their cost can exceed that of war.

He added: “We have sought to increase diplomatic interactions, particularly in the region and neighboring environment. We have never refrained from diplomatic engagement with Western countries, including the U.S., and from negotiating with the U.S. on the nuclear issue. In this regard, we have planned and even taken action; everyone witnessed that we held five rounds of talks which ultimately led to war. In other words, our approach has been to utilize negotiation and diplomacy in foreign relations, and strengthening this approach has been a priority.”

Regarding Iran’s path with the IAEA, he emphasized: “We cannot completely cut off cooperation with the Agency. If the regime ever decides to leave the NPT, it will do so; for now, we intend to remain in the NPT.”

He explained: “Ceasing cooperation with the IAEA is one of the consequences of leaving the NPT. You cannot remain in the NPT and not do this at the same time; meaning, you cannot pay the cost of leaving while effectively staying inside.”

On talks with the European troika and their threat to trigger the “snapback” mechanism, he said that Iran has not yet reached a basis for negotiations with Europe.

He added: “It is possible that a meeting on this will take place in the coming days. The Europeans themselves have realized that using the snapback at this time brings no benefit to them or others. Our position is that they are not in a place to decide on snapback, whether regarding its implementation or extension.”

The Foreign Minister continued: “We have not yet reached a point of mature negotiations for effective talks with the U.S. In my opinion, the Americans have not yet reached a stage where they can engage in equal negotiations. We receive conflicting messages through intermediaries, and there are also contradictory statements in American interviews and remarks.”

Araghchi did not rule out the possibility of changing the mediator for talks with the U.S. or the host of these negotiations, saying that in diplomacy, anything is always possible.

Referring to the Financial Times’ recent interview headline as incorrect, he addressed the issue of seeking compensation from the U.S. for aggression against Iran, saying: “One must negotiate to receive damages. Its scope will inevitably have many ups and downs, and it is possible they may refuse. It must be discussed; therefore, this is not a precondition, but it will be one of the negotiation topics.”

Regarding developments in Lebanon, the Foreign Minister stated: “We have not interfered in Lebanon’s internal affairs and do not intend to. Lebanon’s issues belong to the Lebanese themselves and should be resolved through national dialogue.”