Iran's FM: Trust in US at breaking point
Shafaq News/ Iran questioned the United States' credibility in upcoming nuclear negotiations after an Israeli airstrike hit Iranian territory just days before planned talks with American officials.
Speaking to NBC News in Geneva, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was unsure it could trust Washington, suggesting the diplomatic process may have been used as a 'cover' for Israel's attack. 'What they did was a betrayal of diplomacy,' he stated.
He stressed that Iran would not return to the table unless Israel halts its aerial operations. 'We are not prepared to negotiate while the aggression continues,' Araghchi said after meetings with European diplomats.
The minister also dismissed US President Donald Trump's demand for zero uranium enrichment. 'That is impossible,' he said, adding that enrichment remains a sovereign right and a national point of pride.
Araghchi expressed frustration with US envoy Steve Witkoff, accusing him of repeatedly shifting positions. 'There is now a lack of trust between us. What we were told could be done—was not,' he said, although indirect communication with Witkoff continues.
He warned that Iran would retaliate against any joint US-Israeli action, emphasizing Tehran's right to self-defense. 'If the US joins the attacks, we will do the same in response,' he said.
Responding to Israeli threats against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Araghchi called such a move 'a crime,' and dismissed Trump's claim of knowing Khamenei's whereabouts as 'an insult rather than a threat.'
He concluded that the path back to diplomacy requires Washington to stop Israeli airstrikes. 'All it takes is a phone call from Washington to Tel Aviv,' he said.
The remarks came as tensions between Iran and Israel have escalated into direct military confrontation. Israel launched Operation Rising Lion on June 13, striking Iranian nuclear and military sites, prompting Tehran to retaliate with missile and drone attacks under its campaign dubbed True Promise 3.
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