By Khadija Shehu Abdulkarim
Iran has made the resumption of nuclear talks with the United States conditional on Washington refraining from further attacks, according to Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi.
In an interview with the BBC, Takht-Ravanchi said the US had expressed willingness to return to talks, but Iran needs clarity on whether the US would launch more attacks.
The statement comes after US President Donald Trump announced new talks with Iran, following recent airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Trump had claimed the attacks set Iran’s nuclear program back by years, but International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) head Rafael Grossi said Iran could resume enriching uranium within months.
Takht-Ravanchi emphasized Iran’s right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes, rejecting accusations of secretly developing nuclear weapons. He said Iran’s enrichment level and capacity can be discussed, but the US demand for “zero enrichment” is unacceptable.
“We were denied access to nuclear material for our research program, so we had to rely on ourselves,” Takht-Ravanchi said. “To say that you should not have enrichment, and if you don’t agree, we will bomb you – that’s the law of the jungle.”