The US must rule out any further strikes on Iran if it wants to resume diplomatic talks, Tehran’s deputy foreign minister has told the BBC.
Majid Takht-Ravanchi says the Trump administration has told Iran through mediators it wants to return to negotiations, but had “not made their position clear” on the “very important question” of further attacks while talks are taking place.
Israel’s military operation, which began in the early hours of 13 June, scuppered a sixth round of mainly indirect talks set to take place in Muscat two days later.
The US became directly involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran last weekend when it targeted three Iranian nuclear sites in a bombing raid.
Takht-Ravanchi also said Iran will “insist” on being able to enrich uranium for what it says are peaceful purposes, rejecting accusations that Iran was secretly moving towards developing a nuclear bomb.
He said Iran had been “denied access to nuclear material” for its research programme so needed “to rely on ourselves”.
“The level of that can be discussed, the capacity can be discussed, but to say that you should not have enrichment, you should have zero enrichment, and if do you not agree, we will bomb you – that is the law of the jungle,” the deputy foreign minister said.
