Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghai made the remarks while answering questions from reporters in the Sunday Press magazine.
In response to a question about Iran’s engagement with the IAEA and the mediation efforts of some countries, including Egypt, Foreign Minister Baghai said that Tehran-Iran does not need mediation in the framework of its interactions with the IAEA. “Our representatives in Vienna are active. We are members of the Agency, we take our position publicly and communicate it directly in discussions with Agency officials. We consider ourselves bound by its obligations as long as we remain party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.”
“This issue started when the US and Israel disrupted the cooperation process between Iran and Iranian institutions by attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities,” the senior Iranian diplomat added.
On June 13, while Washington and Tehran were in the process of nuclear negotiations, Israel launched a blatant and unprovoked invasion of Iran. The Israeli attack sparked a 12-day war that left at least 1,064 people dead in the country, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians.
The United States also entered the war by bombing three Iranian nuclear facilities in a serious violation of international law.
In response, Iranian forces targeted strategic locations throughout the occupied territories, as well as Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US military base in West Asia.
On June 24, Iran successfully thwarted the invasion through successful retaliatory operations against both the Israeli regime and the United States.
Criticizing the Council’s recent statements on Iran, Bagai continued, “Unfortunately, the opposition ignores the facts, and instead of talking about Iran’s alleged non-cooperation, the Council should hold the United States, the Zionist regime, and its supporters responsible for the attack on Iran.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, Mr. Baghai noted that engagement and negotiations to strengthen and expand cooperation between Iran and Russia on peaceful nuclear energy continue with the same vigor and seriousness as before.
Regarding the issue of mediating negotiations with the US, he said: “This issue is not at all about mediation or mediators. The problem goes back to the US approach and policy. That is, the US is not serious about negotiations, and its approach to negotiations is fundamentally based on dictatorship rather than traditional diplomatic give-and-take. As long as the US persists in this approach, there will be no meaningful negotiations. Therefore, the issue of mediators and mediation is secondary.”
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