No change in Iran’s nuclear stance post-aggression: Araghchi
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Ahead of talks with the E3 in Istanbul, Iran's foreign minister says Iran's nuclear stance remains firm, stressing continued uranium enrichment.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi leaves a news conference in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, June 22, 2025 (AP)
Ahead of tomorrow’s scheduled talks in Istanbul with the E3, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that these negotiations with the Europeans are nothing new, adding that Iran will keep engaging in these discussions to show that its stance "has remained unchanged despite the aggression."
The Iranian foreign minister emphasized that Iran would uphold its nuclear rights, particularly uranium enrichment, stating that Tehran’s stance remains firm and that enrichment activities will continue.
On July 21, Iranian state television reported that Tehran had accepted a European request to engage in a new round of talks with the three European parties to the JCPOA nuclear deal, France, Britain, and Germany, marking a potential step toward renewed diplomacy.
The negotiations, set to take place this Friday in Istanbul at the assistant foreign ministerial level, will see Iran's delegation led by Majid Takht-e Ravanchi, the Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, alongside Kazem Gharibabadi, the Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, representing Tehran's interests in the discussions.
Focusing squarely on Iran's nuclear activities, these discussions are designed to advance on their own diplomatic path, operating independently from the indirect Iran-US talks, which are currently halted due to the Israeli-US aggression against Tehran.
Iran urges Europe to abandon failed pressure tactics
On Friday, Araghchi firmly rejected Western narratives surrounding the collapse of nuclear negotiations, placing full responsibility on the United States for both the unraveling of the 2015 nuclear agreement and the recent failure to revive diplomacy.
In a statement shared on X, Araghchi said he held a joint teleconference with the foreign ministers of the E3, alongside the European Union’s High Representative. He emphasized that Iran has remained committed to dialogue, while it is Washington that has consistently undermined diplomatic progress.
"It was the US that withdrew from a two-year negotiated deal, coordinated by the EU in 2015, not Iran," Araghchi stated, adding, "And it was the US that left the negotiation table in June this year and chose a military option instead."
On a related note, Raouf Sheibani, the Iranian foreign minister’s special envoy for West Asia, earlier this week firmly rejected Western pressure to accept a revised nuclear deal.
In an interview for Al Mayadeen, he stated, "Iran will not back down in the face of any Western pressure or threats to activate the snapback mechanism."
