Foreign Minister: Any agreement that does not safeguard Iran’s interests is unacceptable

Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Foreign Minister, summarized his trip to New York in an interview.

He said: “We had a completely busy week in New York, with various activities. Part of these activities was related to the snapback issue. At the same time, we used the opportunity of attending the General Assembly to advance bilateral relations with other countries, to participate in international forums, and to attend various meetings both within and outside the UN.”

Araghchi stated: “I held bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of more than 31 countries. The nuclear issue was discussed, Iran’s positions were expressed, bilateral relations were reviewed, and decisions were made on economic cooperation and joint commissions appropriate to each country. I participated in various forums, including the Global Development Forum initiated by China, which was a very important meeting; also, the commemoration of the 1500th anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), which was initiated and approved by us in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, was decided to be held in New York, and I participated in that session.”

He went on to mention his meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, saying: “I had a meeting with the Secretary-General of the UN, in which the latest positions regarding the snapback were raised. In the snapback issue, what happened was that we faced an attempt to extract unreasonable concessions from the Islamic Republic of Iran. In contrast, we presented our entirely reasonable proposals, which even the Europeans admitted were reasonable.”

The Foreign Minister continued: “Over the course of one-week, multiple meetings were held between us and the three European countries, the UN Secretary-General, and the IAEA Director General. The effort was to find a compromise between the two sides’ proposals. However, because of the Americans’ excessive demands and the Europeans’ alignment with them, we could not reach a compromise. Why? Because we are here to defend the rights and interests of the Iranian people, and certainly no agreement that does not safeguard Iran’s interests will be acceptable to us.”

According to him, the overall activities showed that the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, until the very last moment, will take any necessary measures to safeguard Iran’s interests.

Araghchi, regarding negotiations with the American side, said: “Messages were exchanged with the Americans both directly and indirectly. In the end, we are reassured that we did everything necessary. It was once again proven, as the Supreme Leader has said, that negotiations with the Americans are an absolute dead end. This reality was demonstrated again in this process. They imagined that the ‘snapback monster’ they created would frighten us into conceding everything. Certainly, that is not the case.”

He emphasized: “The people will see that, in the economic sphere, there will not be more sanctions imposed beyond what the US has already enacted. Lists will be added and removed, but these will not have extraordinary impact. Of course, there are political and sometimes strategic effects, which we must counter. Today I spoke with the UN Secretary-General about actions that the UN Secretariat must take, some of which have already begun.”

The Foreign Minister stated that from now on Iran faces legal challenges in the UN Security Council and the UN in general. “Russia and China share our position that the actions taken were illegal, without legal basis, and should not be recognized. We face new circumstances in the Security Council, the UN, and the IAEA. From our perspective, there was no consensus in the Security Council to activate the snapback. Russia and China also believe such consensus did not exist.”

Araghchi concluded: “Now these issues must be discussed in the Supreme National Security Council and its nuclear committee. Based on the overall situation, we will implement what serves the country’s interests. I am confident that sound and well-calculated decisions will be made in the Supreme National Security Council.”