Iran has expressed conditional openness to resuming nuclear negotiations with the US, calling for firm guarantees to prevent future military attacks.
The announcement comes amid heightened tensions following recent Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear and military infrastructure.
Speaking to foreign diplomats in Tehran on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the country remains committed to dialogue over its nuclear program, but any future talks must ensure they do not escalate into conflict.
“There must be a guarantee that resuming talks will not result in war,” Araghchi said, referring to a recent 12-day Israeli bombardment and a US airstrike on June 22 that targeted Iranian facilities.
He warned that these actions have severely undermined prospects for renewed diplomacy.
“If the US and others truly want to return to talks, they must first guarantee that such attacks will not happen again,” he added.
In response to the attacks, Iran has suspended cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and ordered international inspectors to leave the country. Araghchi said future inspection requests will now be reviewed “case-by-case,” based on national interests. He also raised safety concerns about radioactive leaks and unexploded ordnance at damaged sites.
Iran continues to enrich uranium up to 60%, just below weapons-grade levels of 90%. While Israel claims Tehran is on the verge of building a nuclear weapon, both the US intelligence agencies and the IAEA have maintained that Iran has not had an active weapons program since 2003.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian revealed Monday that the US strikes had caused extensive damage to several nuclear facilities, and officials are still assessing the full extent of the destruction.
Despite international pressure, Tehran has insisted on continuing its domestic uranium enrichment program, an issue that remains one of the key sticking points in any potential agreement with Washington.