TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Iran will continue nuclear negotiations with the United States (US) if there is a full guarantee that the US will not attack Iran during the negotiation process. This was emphasized by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to CBS News on Tuesday, July 1.
"I don't think negotiations will start again soon. Before we decide to return to negotiations, we must ensure that America will not militarily attack us during the negotiation process," he said.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. Shutterstock
Araghchi added that considering various factors, Iran still needs more time to decide the next steps.
On Monday, the White House revealed that President Donald Trump's envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, continues to communicate with Iranian officials after a ceasefire was reached between Iran and Israel.
Araghchi said that Iran's nuclear program is a "national pride." He also emphasized that Iran will not easily surrender to international pressure.
"We have shown in this 12-day imposed war that we are able to defend ourselves, and we will continue to do the same if there is aggression against us," said Araghchi.
The Iran-Israel conflict erupted on June 13 when Israel launched airstrikes on various military, nuclear, and civilian facilities in Iran, killing at least 935 people and injuring more than 5,300 others, according to the Iranian Ministry of Health.
Iran responded by launching missiles and drones into Israeli territory. According to data from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the attacks killed at least 29 people and injured more than 3,400.
The US exacerbated the situation by bombing three major nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The conflict then stopped after the US sponsored a ceasefire that began on June 24.
Araghchi Calls Nuclear Program a National Pride
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Iran's nuclear program, aimed for "peace," has become a symbol of "national pride and honor."
"We have also gone through 12 days of war involuntarily; therefore, the people (Iran) will not easily stop enrichment," Araghchi said, referring to Israel and the US military attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities.
He emphasized that uranium enrichment - the core technology in the nuclear program - cannot be destroyed merely by bomb attacks. The scientific knowledge and technical expertise that Iran has cannot be easily eliminated.
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