The head of Iran’s parliamentary National Security and Foreign Policy Committee said on Sunday that no time or place has been set for new talks with the US as an ongoing review looks set to conclude that negotiations with the US are unjustified.
Ebrahim Aziz said that Tehran is not afraid of dialogue but accused Washington of repeatedly breaking its commitments.
“Some interpret negotiation as retreat, but this view is incorrect. Iran has consistently engaged with strength and adherence to principles, while the other side has repeatedly violated its obligations,” Azizi said at a press conference.
He added that Iran remains open to talks only if the other party respects the fundamental rules of negotiation.
“No specific date or venue has been set for new talks, and it is possible that the outcome of our assessments will be that negotiating with an uncommitted side is not permissible,” he said.
Azizi reaffirmed Iran’s right to uranium enrichment, saying that while Iran would not negotiate the principle of enrichment, discussions could occur regarding the level and percentage of enrichment.
He also emphasized that lifting sanctions is a critical national interest, but Tehran demands lasting guarantees given past experiences with broken deals.
The 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA) offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for limits on its nuclear program. The US withdrawal under former President Donald Trump in 2018 triggered a gradual unraveling of the deal, with Iran scaling back its commitments and European parties failing to deliver promised economic benefits.
Regarding Iran’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Azizi said Tehran suspended cooperation due to the agency’s misleading reports that “paved the way for military attacks.”
He accused IAEA chief Rafael Grossi of politicizing the agency and said that future cooperation would be restructured according to new parliamentary laws.
Iran’s state-run English-language newspaper Tehran Times reported on Friday that Tehran and Washington may start Norway-mediated indirect talks in August, covering Iran’s nuclear program and compensation demands over the June war with Israel and the US.
The US has called Iran’s compensation demand “ridiculous,” urging Tehran to stop funding militias and its nuclear program.
Iran and the US held five rounds of talks earlier this year; a sixth was suspended after Israeli airstrikes on Iranian sites triggered a 12-day conflict with casualties on both sides.
