Supreme National Security Council to manage future cooperation with I.A.E.A.: Araqchi

Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi says all future cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (I.A.E.A.) will be carried out through Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (S.N.S.C.).

Addressing ambassadors, officials, and heads of foreign and international missions in Tehran on Saturday, Araqchi said the Islamic Republic’s cooperation with the I.A.E.A. has not stopped but taken a new form, based on a parliamentary law, following the war of aggression launched by the Israeli regime and the United States.

“Iran has been a committed member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (N.P.T.). From now on, relations with the Agency will be managed through the Supreme National Security Council,” he said, adding that the I.A.E.A.’s request for continued cooperation with Iran will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

I.A.E.A. and U.N.S.C. remained silent

At the beginning, the foreign minister thanked the countries and organizations that condemned the Israeli-U.S. war of aggression and expressed sympathy for the Iranian government and people.

More than 120 countries, as well as many international organizations, such as the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (O.I.C.), the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (G.C.C.), the BRICS, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (S.C.O.) had condemned the attacks.

Araqchi deplored some states and international bodies for their silence, saying that “the aggression was against international law” and it is regrettable that a number of countries, the U.N. Security Council, the I.A.E.A.’s chief and its Board of Governors were unwilling to condemn the deadly aggression, which included strikes on the peaceful nuclear sites of an N.P.T. signatory.

Triggering snapback will end Europe’s role in Iran’s nuclear issue

In another part of his address, the foreign minister stressed the need for a return to diplomacy and a negotiated and agreed solution, saying the recent war proved this more than ever. He added that diplomacy is still possible “if the opposing parties assure they want real diplomacy” and not use dialogue as a cover to achieve their objectives.

Araqchi warned Britain, France, and Germany, together known as E3, against invoking the 2015 nuclear deal’s snapback mechanism to reinstate U.N. sanctions against Iran, saying such a move “will make negotiations and diplomacy more difficult.”

“Using snapback means the end of Europe’s role in the Iranian nuclear issue,” he said, adding that the three European countries are delusional to think that the snapback mechanism would give them leverage over Iran.

He cautioned the Europeans that going down that route would further complicate efforts to resolve the nuclear dispute, the same miscalculation the United States made when it launched military strikes against Iran’s nuclear sites last month.

“We hope that rationality will return to European countries and the United States and they will abandon the pressure tactic and return to diplomacy, because there is no solution other than a negotiated solution,” he said.

The U.S. betrayed diplomacy

Referring to the U.S. attacks on the Iranian nuclear sites, Araqchi pointed out that the Israeli aggression against Iran was coordinated by Washington, which itself directly entered the war.

“The Americans betrayed diplomacy and the negotiating table, and if they are seeking to resume negotiations now, they must ensure that such a thing will not happen again,” he cautioned.

Enrichment is an inalienable right

The foreign minister underscored Iran’s right to enrich uranium for peaceful nuclear purposes, saying that the rights of the Iranian people, including the right to enrichment, must be respected in any negotiated solution, as it is one of the great scientific achievements of Iranian scientists.

Araqchi underlined that any potential talks with the West would be strictly limited to the nuclear issue and that Iran’s military capabilities, as demonstrated in retaliatory strikes against Israel, will not be the subject of any negotiation.

“We are currently reviewing the timing, location, format, arrangements, and assurances necessary for the process. We are in no hurry to enter into hasty negotiations, but we will not miss any opportunity to pursue the goals, interests, and benefits of the Iranian people,” he said.

Iran is not after atomic bomb

Araqchi once again rejected the claim by the West and the Israeli regime that Iran was seeking nuclear weapons. “For more than 20 years, the Islamic Republic has been trying to prove the peaceful nature of its nuclear program to countries that are concerned about this issue.”

He said that if Iran had any intention of moving towards a nuclear weapons program, it could have done so before.

“We consider nuclear weapons not only inhumane, but also un-Islamic based on the teachings of Islam and guideline of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution,” the minister noted.