Iranian foreign minister signals readiness for renewed nuclear negotiations with Washington

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared on Tuesday that nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington had been “on the cusp of a historic breakthrough” prior to Israel’s Operation Rising Lion military offensive last month against Iran’s nuclear and military assets. Araghchi represented Iran in the talks with U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

“In only five meetings over nine weeks, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and I achieved more than I did in four years of nuclear negotiations with the failed Biden administration. We were on the cusp of a historic breakthrough,” Araghchi wrote in an article published by the Financial Times.

Tehran’s top diplomat said that the Iranian regime is still interested in diplomacy and in restarting the nuclear talks with the United States.

“Iran remains interested in diplomacy but we have good reason to have doubts about further dialogue. If there is a desire to resolve this amicably, the US should show genuine readiness for an equitable accord,” Araghchi stated.

He noted that the U.S. and Iran were preparing for a sixth round of talks when Israel launched strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities. He did not mention, however, that the Trump administration had set a 60-day window for negotiations, and the Israeli operation occurred the following day.

At the time, the Trump administration had called for a complete halt to Iran’s uranium enrichment – a demand that the regime rejected.

Iran’s leaders, who have for decades called for “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” openly advocate for Israel’s destruction and have invested billions of dollars in their nuclear and ballistic missile programs, as well as in funding regional terror proxies such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials emphasized that Israel launched the military campaign against Iran to eliminate the existential threat from its advancing nuclear program and expanding ballistic missile capabilities.

“Two weeks ago, on the night leading into Friday, the State of Israel launched Operation ‘Rising Lion’ to remove the existential threat from Iran to the State of Israel,” IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin stated at the beginning of the Israeli operations

“The operation was initiated following a buildup of unequivocal intelligence indicating that the Iranian regime planned to triple its missile arsenal within two years,” he added.

Iran fired some 500 missiles at Israel during the 12-day war, killing 28 Israeli civilians and causing considerable material damage in mainly civilian areas but failing to secure any strategic achievements.

By contrast, Israel severely degraded Iran’s military and nuclear capabilities and eliminated most of Iran’s top military leaders, including Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) leader Hossein Salami, the top commander of Iran’s armed forces; Major-General Mohammad Bagheri and his deputy Gholam Ali Rashid; and IRGC Air Force Commander Brig.-Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh.

In addition, Israel eliminated over a dozen senior Iranian nuclear scientists who were involved in Tehran’s covert nuclear military program. The Israeli Air Force achieved an unprecedented air supremacy in Iranian airspace including including the skies above Tehran, forcing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to retreat into a bunker.

Israel’s military success against Iran was likely critical behind U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb Iran’s main nuclear facilities in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.

On Tuesday, Araghchi also met with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, in Mecca, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The purpose of the meeting was reportedly to strengthen bilateral relations and discuss the recent regional developments in the Middle East. Araghchi later stated this talks with the Saudi foreign minister were “fruitful.”

Like other Arab states, the Saudi Kingdom formally condemned the Israeli strikes on Iran’s military and nuclear sites. Analysts suggest the response was driven by concerns over Iranian retaliation, though some believe Riyadh quietly welcomed the blow to Iran’s military capabilities, given its longstanding concerns over Tehran’s regional ambitions.