Iran says US talks depend on Washington’s will, not mediators

Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on X that the text, backed by China, Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Belarus, was intended “to defend the integrity of the NPT” and reaffirmed the inalienable right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

“All states must refrain from attacking or threatening to attack peaceful nuclear facilities in other countries,” Baghaei wrote. “These principles must be upheld; it is high time that the international community acted firmly to prevent the normalization of lawlessness.”

Draft resolution

The draft resolution condemns “the deliberate and unlawful attacks carried out in June 2025 against nuclear sites and facilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” calling them clear violations of the UN Charter and the IAEA Statute.

It says nuclear sites under IAEA safeguards “shall not be subject to any kind of attack or threat of attack,” adding that such actions pose serious risks to international peace and security, human health, the environment, and the credibility of the non-proliferation regime.

The document also recalls UN Security Council Resolution 487 of 1981, which condemned Israel’s bombing of Iraq’s Osirak reactor, and reaffirms previous IAEA decisions prohibiting attacks on safeguarded facilities.

It further stressed that all questions regarding nuclear programs should be resolved “exclusively through dialogue and diplomacy, as the only viable path.”

Israel launched a surprise military campaign on June 13 targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites, including senior commanders and nuclear officials in a conflict that lasted 12 days. On June 22, the United States joined the campaign, striking nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Washington brokered a ceasefire on June 24.

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Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami told the conference on Monday that Tehran’s atomic program “cannot be eliminated through military action,” accusing Israel and the United States of launching illegal strikes on Iranian sites in June.

“Despite our formal request, the agency did not condemn the attacks by the United States and Israel on the nuclear centers of the Islamic Republic,” Eslami said, calling the IAEA’s silence “a stain on the Agency’s history.”

Eslami said Tehran would use the conference to highlight what he called unlawful measures against its nuclear industry and to push for adoption of the draft.

The debate comes as Iran’s recent cooperation deal with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi awaits implementation and European powers press ahead with the UN “snapback” mechanism that could reinstate sanctions on Tehran by late September.

“Iran reiterates that the so-called two-state solution will not solve the Palestinian issue,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by state media. “The only real and lasting solution is the establishment of a single democratic state through a referendum with the participation of all Palestinians, inside and outside the occupied territories.”

It added that Tehran “disassociates itself from any reference to this concept and similar notions, including East Jerusalem, the 1967 borders and related terms, mentioned in the communique.”

The ministry reaffirmed support for what it called the “inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination” and condemned “brutal crimes” by Israel.

“The people of Palestine have the right to use all necessary means to exercise their right to determine their destiny and free themselves from foreign colonial occupation,” it said.

The Iran-backed Houthis of Yemen echoed similar criticism, dismissing the communique as empty rhetoric and calling for stronger action. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a senior member of the group’s supreme political council, said “a simple and tiresome statement of condemnation will not prevent the crimes of the occupiers.”

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'US cannot be neutral mediator'

While praising mediation efforts by Qatar and Egypt, Tehran said, “US policies and actions in practice sustain and support the aggressions of the Israeli regime against the Palestinian people. Therefore, the United States cannot be regarded as a credible or impartial party in advancing a just and lasting peace.”

The Arab-Islamic summit, convened in Doha this week after Israel’s September 9 strike on Qatar, denounced the attack as a violation of international law and expressed full solidarity with Doha.

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Leaders said Israel’s “crimes of genocide, ethnic cleansing, starvation and siege” undermine prospects for peace, and reaffirmed support for the Arab Peace Initiative and international resolutions backing a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.

Iran requested that its reservations be recorded in the summit’s final report.

The scrambled messaging suggests deep disagreement on Iran's diplomatic path forward as renewed UN sanctions loom by months-end and arch-foe Israel continues to moot military attacks to chasten Tehran.

Negotiated by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the Cairo deal addressed an impasse between the UN nuclear watchdog and Tehran after the latter refused to let inspectors resume work following surprise US and Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear sites in June.

While ultra-hardliners warn it risks national security, supporters insist the agreement reflects careful diplomacy rather than a threat to sovereignty.

Iranian lawmakers convened an emergency meeting with Araghchi on Saturday to review the agreement.

The Supreme National Security Council released a statement shortly after the session announcing that the deal aligns with its nuclear committee’s prior approval, emphasizing that submission of reports on facilities targeted by US and Israeli attacks, and any further operational procedures, would require SNSC authorization.

“While the government emphasizes the legal frameworks and the Supreme National Security Council’s approval for the agreement with the IAEA, ultra-hardliners are using media campaigns to try to disrupt the decision-making process,” independent news outlet Rouydad24 wrote.

Supremo stamp sought

“Araghchi claims he has authorization from the Supreme National Security Council to negotiate (with the IAEA) … and (claims) that the council’s decisions are also endorsed by the Supreme Leader,” hardline MP Ahmad Bakhshayesh, a staunch critic of the IAEA deal and the 2015 nuclear agreement, told Rouydad24.

Mojtaba Zarei, a member of parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, posted on X that Araghchi “has acted fully within the country’s legal and strategic framework, and never unilaterally.”

His negotiations, Zarei added, have followed the Supreme Leader’s policies, the Supreme National Security Council’s guidance and recent parliamentary laws, without exceeding his authority or granting IAEA inspectors unrestricted access.

NPT in the crosshairs

Ultra-hardliner lawmakers, having recently passed a high-priority bill that could lead to Iran’s withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and halting cooperation with the IAEA, continue to challenge the agreement.

Hamid Rasaei, an ultra-hardliner lawmaker, insisted in a video posted on X that contrary to what Araghchi told lawmakers, the deal could not block the reimposition of UN sanctions under the snapback mechanism.

“If this agreement bypasses the law, involves violations, or represents a deviation, we will uphold and defend the law,” another ultra-hardliner lawmaker, Eshareh Azizi, threatened.

Ultra-hardliners also say the agreement risks exposing sensitive nuclear sites.

“Technical agreements with the IAEA could be used as a cover for intelligence gathering, preparing the ground for a new attack on Iran, and creating a legal-political framework to increase sanctions pressure,” Kayhan newspaper funded by the Supreme Leader’s office alleged in an editorial on Monday titled “Europe Will Not Lift Sanctions, Don’t Be Deceived by the IAEA”.

The editorial suggested that leaving the NPT “remains one of the (most) viable options to change the game in Iran’s favor.”

IRGC outlet defends the deal

But a commentary by Basirat, an outlet affiliated with the IRGC’s political bureau, described the Cairo agreement as “a vital achievement in managing the nuclear file at its most sensitive juncture” and “a success.”

“The agreement prevented a new resolution against Iran and created breathing space for continued negotiations,” the commentary titled “Cairo Deal: Redefining Iran's Relations with IAEA” asserted.

Noting that the agreement distinguishes targeted nuclear facilities from others, allowing Iran to manage oversight and safeguard security concerns, it concluded that the deal can be seen as “a valuable opportunity to reduce tensions and return to the path of dialogue.”

The signatories warn that current policies only embolden Tehran, which they describe as a menace to foreign powers and its people alike which survives solely through violence.

“The people of Iran have shed blood and stood firm. Now it is time for the international community to act for its own security. The struggle of the Iranian nation will be remembered in history as a sacrifice not only for freedom but also for the security of the world,” the letter states.

Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman, died in September 2022 after being arrested by Iran’s so-called morality police.

Her death sparked widespread outrage and ignited the Women, Life, Freedom protest movement which was quashed with deadly force.

In their letter, the families and victims demanded governments formally designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, cut diplomatic and economic ties with Tehran, and impose sanctions on the IRGC’s financial, military and cyber networks.

"The people of Iran have shed blood and stood firm. Now it is time for the international community to act for its own security. The struggle of the Iranian nation will be remembered in history as a sacrifice not only for freedom but also for the security of the world," it read.

The families portray the Islamic Republic as weakened at home and increasingly isolated abroad. They point to the twelve-day war in June, during which the United States and Israel jointly struck nuclear sites and targeted senior IRGC officials, as a punishing blow.

Meanwhile, Iran’s economy continues to collapse. The rial has lost more than 90 percent of its value since US President Donald Trump imposed “maximum pressure” sanctions in 2018.

Coupled with widespread drought, empty taps and persistent electricity shortages, the instability is fueling fears of mass migration that could destabilize neighboring countries already struggling with refugee challenges.

The letter is signed by more than 100 victims and families of those killed or injured during nationwide uprisings in 2017, 2019, and 2022.

Among the public signatories are the families of people killed during the 2022 protests including Majid Kazemi, Mino Majidi, Pouya Bakhtiari and Aida Rostami, along with dozens of survivors who suffered severe injuries.

While the Yemeni militia is launching almost daily drone attacks on Israel, its missile attacks have ebbed as the group struggles to get key supplies from Tehran.

It has recently turned to using Iranian cluster bombs in a bid to make the ballistic missiles more effective while using less missiles as air attacks with drones continue.

“The Houthis possess large quantities of drones and missiles of various types, but they realize that the conflict could drag on for many years," Yemen-based military expert Rashid Maalouf told Iran International. "Therefore, they avoid using these weapons extensively on a daily basis to preserve their strategic stockpile from depletion.”

He said successful interceptions by coastal forces loyal to Yemen's internationally-recognized government have impacted supplies to the group which controls most of the country's population centers since a civil war broke out in 2014.

“Although the Houthis already possess a large stockpile, they are careful to ration it, not because of the immediate shortage, but rather to ensure its long-term sustainability in anticipation of a prolonged conflict.”

On September 4, the Israeli military said it had intercepted five UAVs and two surface-to-surface missiles launched from Yemen.

“In recent months, as part of the cooperation between the Air Force arrays, dozens of unmanned aerial vehicles and surface-to-surface missiles launched from Yemen were successfully intercepted," the statement said.

A day later, Israel announced it had assassinated 12 senior officials from the group who had been gathered together at a meeting in Sanaa.

“The Houthi terrorist regime serves as a central proxy of the Iranian regime, which provides it with funding and weapons for terror activities against the State of Israel and other countries,” the statement said following the airstrike which killed officials including Prime Minister Ahmad Al-Rahawi and other ministers.

Israeli strikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa and Houthi-held north on Wednesday which in part targeted military and government news outlets supporting the group killed 35 people according to the health ministry and landed on the outskirts of the ancient old city.

On Friday, the Israeli military said 10 Houthi drones had been downed in the previous week. In the early hours of Saturday morning, a Houthi missile was intercepted.

Shortly after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the Houthis announced they would interdict shipping off Yemeni waters in solidarity with Palestine.

Despite frequent Houthi attacks on Israel for much of the last two years, most missiles and drones have been intercepted by air defense systems.

Notable lapses came in the form of a Houthi drone attack which killed an Israeli man in Tel Aviv last year and a missile attack which struck outside Israel's busiest airport in May.

In response, Israeli air attacks have killed scores of people, destroyed Yemen's civilian air fleet and targeted ports and energy infrastructure.

Still importing

Former Israeli military intelligence chief Danny Citronowicz told Iran International that the Houthis are facing logistical challenges to manufacture weapons, seen by the focus on drone attacks.

While drones are mostly made domestically, he said, the group still relies on Iranian equipment such as the GPS capabilities.

“The Houthis are still importing weapons from Iran,” Citronowicz added. “They don’t have the ability to manufacture missiles so they’re getting them smuggled from Iran in pieces and putting them together."

“When the US stops the ships [smuggling parts] we see the capabilities they have, but the Houthis need the Iranians still,” added Citronowicz, who said that senior Quds Force commander Abdul Reza Shahla’i is on the ground coordinating the group in Yemen.

Under sanctions, the US has offered a $15m reward for information on his financial activities, networks and associates.

“The Houthis will find it very hard to sustain this ability to launch missiles without getting them from Iran. The ability to manufacture them in Yemen is very hard. They need the components from Iran," he said.

The more complex, the more Iranian

The Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations think tank said in a report that the Iran connection provides more sophisticated weaponry than the group could acquire on their own for both missiles and drones.

“Iranian support has bolstered the group’s fighting abilities, helping the Houthis gain and maintain military superiority within Yemen," it wrote in March.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have targeted over 100 international merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sunk two ships, seized one vessel and killed at least eight seamen.

Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran expert at the US think tank the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), told Iran International that while the Houthis have local production capabilities, the more complex the projectile, the more likely the Houthis are to remain reliant on whole systems or component parts from Tehran.

"But the cheaper the platform, like drones, the more likely they will be able to develop systems with Iranian guidance in country," he said.

"Marrying that assumption with past US and Israeli strikes against Houthi missile launch, production, and storage sites, it’s apparent that both for strategic and cost purposes the terror group would transition to more drone than ballistic missiles strikes."