Iran to Claim Compensation from US in Any Talks: Spokesman

In comments at a presser on Monday, Esmaeil Baqaei reiterated Iran’s demand—previously stated by Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi—that receiving compensation from the US is a prerequisite for resuming diplomatic negotiations.

The spokesman said the foreign minister has made it clear that the future negotiations, if any, will be different this time than the talks before June 13, when Iran came under an unprovoked war of aggression.

“The situation has changed a lot. In any possible talks, reprimanding the US and demanding compensation will be a topic on the agenda,” Baqaei underlined.

Responding to comments from US Department of State’s Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott who has described Iran’s demands for financial compensation from the US as “ridiculous”, Baqaei said such plebeian explanation of the subject reveals the US official’s shallow knowledge of international law.

“Ridiculous is what we observe in the US’ policies. They commit wrongdoing, support the Zionist regime’s conducts, and are trying to justify those measures. The American spokespersons should take a look at the history of the results of international courts’ views about similar measures, such as the case of (American strikes targeting) the Iranian oil platforms in which the US was convicted,” he added.

In a recent interview with Financial Times, Araqchi declared that the United States and its Zionist ally must compensate for their recent acts of war against the Islamic Republic before Tehran resumes nuclear negotiations.

While the Zionist regime waged an unprovoked war of aggression against Iran on June 13 and struck Iran’s military, nuclear and residential areas for 12 days, the US stepped in and conducted military attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran’s Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan on June 22.

The Iranian military forces conducted powerful counterattacks immediately after the aggression. The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Force carried out 22 waves of retaliatory missile strikes against the Zionist regime as part of Operation True Promise III that inflicted heavy losses on cities across the occupied territories.

Also, in response to the US attacks, Iranian armed forces launched a wave of missiles at al-Udeid air base in Qatar, the largest American military base in West Asia.

A ceasefire that came into force on June 24 brought the fighting to a halt.