The US must agree to compensate Iran for losses incurred during last month’s war, the Islamic republic’s foreign minister said, as Tehran hardens its position and imposes new conditions for resuming nuclear talks with the Trump administration.
Abbas Araghchi told the Financial Times that Iran would not agree to “business as usual” in the wake of the 12-day conflict with Israel, which the US briefly joined despite having been in talks with Iran.
Araghchi, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, said he and US envoy Steve Witkoff exchanged messages with each other during and since the war, with the Iranian telling the American there needed to be a “win-win solution” to resolve the years-long stand-off over Iran’s nuclear programme.
Araghchi reiterated there could be no deal as long as Trump demanded Iran agree to zero enrichment, but said Washington should address its concerns through negotiations.
Araghchi hit out at the UK, France and Germany, European signatories to the 2015 accord, who have warned they would trigger a “snapback” mechanism to reinstate UN sanctions at the end of August if Tehran does not resume negotiations with Washington and co-operation with the IAEA.
“With the Europeans, there is no reason right now to negotiate because they cannot lift sanctions, they cannot do anything,” he said. “If they do snapback, that means that this is the end of the road for them”.
