Iran Warns of Retaliation to Provocation
Following Leaks of Fresh Israeli Threats
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, cautioned the international community Thursday 22 May, of Israel’s plans to attack its nuclear facilities and demanded them to take effective measures to prevent any such possibility.
Araghchi warned that in the absence of effective international measures to prevent Israel, “the Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to forcefully respond to any transgression and will stop at nothing to protect its interests and people.”
Araghchi’s warning came in the context of fresh reports in US media about threats from Israel to Iran. Citing multiple unnamed US officials, a CNN report suggests that the chances of an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities “has gone up significantly in recent months.”
CNN also cited US officials claiming that “intercepted Israeli communications and observation of Israeli military movements” suggest it is preparing for an imminent strike against Iran despite the ongoing diplomatic engagements between Iran and the US.
Diplomatic uncertainty in US-Iran nuclear negotiations
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly claimed that his country will strike Iranian nuclear facilities if US-Iran talks do not result in the complete destruction of Iran’s nuclear program.
In the past, US President Donald Trump had claimed he would stop Israel from launching a military strike against Iran, stating that he preferred diplomacy over war.
However, he has maintained a vague position on the future of the Iranian nuclear program. He claims that the only condition for an agreement with Iran is that it should not have nuclear weapons, without commenting on Iran’s right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes.
Iran has consistently maintained that it lacks the political will to develop nuclear weapons. However, it has made it clear that having a peaceful nuclear program is its right under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and it will never give it up.
On Friday, while confirming his participation in the fifth round of talks with the US, Araghchi also reiterated his country’s position.
“Figuring out the path of a deal is not rocket science. Zero nuclear weapons=we do have a deal, zero enrichment=we do not have a deal,” Araghchi posted on X.
International community must do its duty
“Threats from the rogue Israeli regime are nothing new. But the recent leak citing US officials as divulging Israeli plans for an unlawful attack on Iran and its nuclear facilities is alarming,” Araghchi said. Adding that this “warrants immediate and serious condemnation from the UN security council and the IAEA.”
Araghchi announced that he has written a letter to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi asking the “international community to take effective measures against the continuation of Israeli threats.”
The letter “is a serious pre-action warning. The nature, content, and extent of our actions will correspond and be proportional to preventive measures taken by these international bodies in accordance with their statutory duties and obligations,” Araghchi asserted.
Iran has repeatedly claimed that Netanyahu is trying to derail the talks with the US by dictating terms of the negotiations with Iran to it. He had asked the US to assert their diplomatic independence and stand for what is good for their people and not what is good for the “war criminal” Netanyahu.
US imposes sanctions before fifth round of talks in Rome
The fifth round of indirect US-Iran talks on Iran’s nuclear program is ongoing in Rome under Omani mediation. Araghchi, who is leading the Iranian delegation left for the meetings on Friday.
After the fourth round of talks in Muscat earlier this month, the US had reportedly submitted a written proposalfor an agreement. Delegations are expected to discuss the document during the fifth round of talks.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the US imposed fresh sanctions on Iran’s construction sector. This deflates the possibilities of a deal given the fact that lifting all the sanctions imposed since May 2018 is the primary Iranian condition for the talks.
Reacting to the sanctions, Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry questioned the seriousness of the US toward the talks on Friday.
“These sanctions, announced on the eve of the fifth round of Iran-US indirect talks, further put to question the American willingness & seriousness for diplomacy,” Baghaei said.
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