Following US-Iranian negotiations in Oman on Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Saturday that the date for the next round has not yet been set, but both sides agree on the need to hold it soon.
According to a report by BBC Arabic, Araqchi’s remarks come after US President Donald Trump’s statement early Saturday morning, in which he said: “We will meet again early next week.”
Threat to target US bases in the region
In an interview with Al Jazeera, the Iranian Foreign Minister affirmed that uranium enrichment is an “inalienable right” for Iran, but stated that his country is prepared to reach a reassuring agreement with the United States on this issue.
He stressed that “enrichment is an inalienable right and must continue. Even by bombing they will not be able to destroy our capabilities. We are ready to reach a reassuring agreement on enrichment”.
Araghchi warned that his country would target US bases in the region if Washington attacked Iranian territory, saying: “There is no way we will attack US territory if Washington attacks us, but we will attack their bases in the region”.
Araghchi reiterated that Iran’s missile program is “non-negotiable” in talks with the United States, saying: “This is a purely defensive issue for us, and it cannot be negotiated, neither now nor in the future”.
The Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, said that “any military action against Iran will impose heavy and irreparable costs on the enemies, and the enemies are well aware that any military aggression will end in their strategic defeat and will expand the scope of the war regionally”.
In other remarks to the Al Jazeera Forum in Qatar, the Iranian foreign minister criticized the “doctrine of hegemony” which he said allows Israel to expand its military arsenal while pressuring other countries in the region to disarm.
Araghchi said: “Israel’s expansionist project requires weakening neighboring countries militarily, technologically, economically and socially”.
He added, “Under this project, Israel enjoys the freedom to expand its military arsenal without limits, while demanding that other countries disarm, pressuring others to reduce their defense capabilities, and punishing other countries for scientific progress”.
Trump: Iran desperately wants to reach an agreement
The US president said that Washington had held “very good talks” regarding Iran, following indirect talks between the two sides in Oman.
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, en route to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for the weekend: “We also had very good talks with Iran, and it seems that Iran very much wants to make a deal”.
He continued: “We will meet again early next week,” and said that “there is enough time to make a deal with Iran”.
