Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is dragging the US into another "disaster" in the Middle East, Iran's Foreign Minister has said, claiming he is attempting to disrupt nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Abbas Araghchi accused the Israeli leader of "directly meddling within the US government" ahead of a fourth round of talks between Iran and the US over Tehran's nuclear programme. Meetings were supposed to take place last Saturday but were postponed at the last minute. They follow years of diplomatic impasse between the two nations over the issue.
Mr Araghchi has previously accused Israel of seeking to derail the talks. The Israeli Prime Minister has rejected the idea of limiting and regulating Tehran's uranium enrichment programme through a deal with the US. He has been pushing for the full dismantlement of its nuclear infrastructure, fearing Tehran is seeking to manufacture a bomb.
"Netanyahu is attempting to brazenly dictate what President [Donald] Trump can and cannot do in his diplomacy with Iran," Mr Araghchi said on X on Monday.
"The world has also learnt how Netanyahu is directly meddling within the US government to drag it into another disaster in our region."
Mr Araghchi said a nuclear deal is "achievable and there is only one path to achieve it: diplomacy based on mutual respect and mutual interests".
A new date and time for the fourth round of negotiations has yet to be announced. Oman, which mediated earlier sessions, has said the talks, which were supposed to take place in Rome on May 3, had been postponed for “logistical reasons”.
Last week Iran accused the US of “contradictory behaviour and provocative statements” after Washington warned Tehran of consequences for continuing to back Yemen's Houthi rebels. Washington also imposed new, oil-related sanctions on Iran.
Under a 2015 deal with world powers, Tehran agreed to limit its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. But the agreement collapsed in 2018 when Mr Trump removed the US from the deal and intensified sanctions on Tehran. Iran has since produced higher-grade nuclear material.
Western powers suspect Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, while Tehran says the programme is for civilian purposes.
Since returning to office for a second term, Mr Trump has threatened to bomb Iran if no agreement is reached with his administration to resolve the long-standing dispute.
