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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with Iranian media last night, saying: “I believe that we are able to come to a better deal than the JCPOA.”
Araghchi continued: “I have been in this business of nuclear negotiations in the past 20 years, so I know that is achievable – we can come to a better deal than before, and we are able to ensure that there is no nuclear weapon – that is the main concern of those that have concerns – nuclear weapons, [but] no nuclear weapons, we can guarantee.”
“I have already instructed my team to work on a doable proposal that can guarantee that there would be no nuclear weapon and, at the same time, can guarantee Iran’s right to peaceful use of nuclear technology,” explained Araghchi.
Araghchi added that they needed nuclear technology for electricity, for producing medicines, for agriculture and everything else, noting that an agreement is doable and achievable.
Trust in the American administration is still lacking though: “We still do not have full trust in the Americans because the last time we negotiated, last June, we were in the middle of negotiations when they decided to attack us – we need to make sure that scenario is not repeated, and this is mostly up to the Americans,” Araghchi said.
According to Araghchi, the Iranians also needed guarantees from President Trump that the US or Israel forces didn’t attack Iran during the negotiations.
“We need a guarantee,” Araghchi said: “We need an objective guarantee that the same scenario is not going to be repeated – they tried it once last year and failed – Iran’s nuclear program cannot be bombed and destroyed because it’s a technology that we’ve developed ourselves, there is no solution but a diplomatic solution.”
Araghchi continued: “We only negotiate about our nuclear program with the US, our ballistic missile program is off the table – we are prepared for a diplomatic solution as much as we are prepared to defend ourselves from any new aggression.
“We have learned many lessons from what happened during the 12-day war, we have learned our lessons on war and diplomacy, and now we are prepared for both.”
Explaining what Iran’s response would be, Araghchi said: “We would attack US bases and assets and facilities, everything they have in our neighbourhood.”
Concluding, Araghchi said; “I don’t like it to happen, I’m a man of diplomacy, a man of dialogue, a man of negotiation, not the man of war.”
