Iran has confirmed that there is no plan to resume nuclear talks with the United States following the recent war with Israel. Meanwhile, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said that the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites did not achieve significant progress, accusing Washington of exaggerating their results.
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Tehran rules out new nuclear talks with Washington, downplays impact of strikes / Reuters
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Khamenei said on Thursday that Iran had responded with a powerful blow to US bases, stressing that Tehran would not back down in the face of US pressure.
In this context, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in an interview with Iranian state television that his country has not yet made any decision to initiate nuclear talks with the United States.
He added: "In the recent negotiations, they tried to persuade us to give up the rights of the Iranian nation, and when we refused, they imposed war and allowed the criminal Zionist regime (Israel) to launch attacks."
He continued: "A nuclear superpower with a nuclear arsenal and a nuclear regime, backed by the Europeans, came together to dismantle the Iranian people and end a 50-year struggle against American hegemony, but they failed."
He added, "While the negotiations were ongoing, the Americans betrayed diplomacy. This experience will influence our decisions regarding any future negotiations with them, but diplomacy continues, and I am in contact with a number of foreign ministers from several countries."
Regarding US President Donald Trump's statement, "We will meet with the Iranians next week," Araqchi said, "Don't take these statements seriously. No agreement has been reached regarding negotiations with America, and there hasn't even been any discussion on the matter. Their statements are full of contradictions."
For her part, White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt said that Washington remains "in close contact" with Iran and its mediators, despite the absence of scheduled talks.
There is a heated debate in Washington about the extent of the damage caused to Iran's underground nuclear infrastructure at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan by US bombs.
Trump claimed on Wednesday that the strikes caused "total destruction" and attacked an early Pentagon intelligence analysis that found the attacks may have set back Iran's nuclear program by only a few months.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also strongly denied the analysis, telling reporters on Thursday: "Because of decisive military action, President Trump created the conditions to end the war and destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities."
On June 13, Israel, with US support, launched a 12-day attack on Iran, targeting military and nuclear sites, civilian facilities, and the assassination of military leaders and nuclear scientists. Iran responded by targeting Israeli military and intelligence headquarters with ballistic missiles and drones.
As Iran responded with missile strikes against Israel, inflicting heavy losses, the United States attacked nuclear facilities in Iran on June 22nd. Tehran responded by bombing the U.S. military base at Al Udeid in Qatar. Washington then declared a ceasefire between Tel Aviv and Tehran on June 24th.
There is ambiguity and inconsistency regarding the extent and repercussions of the damage to Iran's nuclear facilities. Tehran has merely stated that they were "severely damaged," claiming that the Israeli-American aggression did not achieve its objectives, without providing further explanation. Meanwhile, Tel Aviv and Washington claim to have destroyed Iran's nuclear program and set it back for years.
