Iran is ready to resume talks with the US over the future of its nuclear programme even though Israel has “torpedoed the negotiating table”, President Masoud Pezeshkian has said.
Speaking to American journalist Tucker Carlson, Mr Pezeshkian noted that while Iran was willing to return to allowing supervision of its programme, its nuclear infrastructure had been “severely damaged” by recent US strikes.
“We don't have any access to them,” he said. “We have to wait for it and to see what happens and how much they have been damaged, so that we can go for the supervision.”
Iran and the US had been in the process of negotiating a new deal to put limits on Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. President Donald Trump withdrew from the original deal during his first term but has expressed his desire for a new agreement.
The two sides had held several rounds of indirect talks in Muscat and Rome, with Oman as mediator, when Israel launched a “pre-emptive” strike on Iranian nuclear infrastructure.
Mr Pezeshkian said the US team told Tehran during the negotiations that “as long as we don't give the permission to Israel, they are not going to attack you”.
“We were sitting at the negotiating table when it happened, and by doing this, they totally ruined and destroyed diplomacy,” he said, accusing Israel of attempting to drag the US into “forever wars”.
“How are we going to trust the United States again? We re-enter the negotiations, then how can we know for sure that in the middle of the talks, the Israeli regime will not be given the permission again to attack?”
Still, Mr Pezeshkian said Iran was “ready to hold talks over” the future of the nuclear programme. “We have never been the party that has run away from verification. We stand ready to have these supervisions,” he said.”
Carlson pointed out that Mr Pezeshkian had approved a law suspending co-operation with UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. The agency is responsible for monitoring Iran's nuclear programme amid concerns that it is trying to build a nuclear weapon, which Tehran denies.
Mr Pezeshkian said Iranians were “pessimistic” about the activities of the IAEA following a report he claims gave Israel the excuse to attack Iran's nuclear bases.
“The IAEA failed to condemn these attacks or try to stop them. This ran counter to the international law, and this resulted in a widespread lack of trust among the Iranians,” he said.
The US has condemned Iran’s move to stop co-operating with the IAEA.
With regard to the US and future relations, Mr Pezeshkian emphasised the need for Washington to respect Iran's rights.
“I believe that the United States' President can very well guide the region and the world to peace and tranquillity, or, on the other hand, to lead it to forever wars,” he said.
Iran's government issued a new death toll for its 12-day war with Israel on Monday, saying at least 1,060 people were killed and warning that the figure could rise.
Saeed Ohadi, the head of Iran's Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, gave the figure in an interview broadcast state television, in which he warned the death toll may reach 1,100 given how severely some were injured.
