Iran denied that nuclear talks with the US were scheduled to resume, dimming diplomatic prospects after US President Donald Trump suggested a deal could be reached as early as next week, Bloomberg reports, citing UNIAN.
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"I state directly that no deal, arrangement or discussion has taken place about starting new talks," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi told state television late Thursday. "Some speculation about resuming talks should not be taken seriously."
Trump said Wednesday that both sides would hold talks next week and "possibly" sign a deal. This would be their first such meeting since the 12-day Iran-Israel war, in which the US intervened by bombing nuclear facilities, disrupting diplomatic efforts to resolve tensions over Tehran's nuclear program, the newspaper reports.
While some Iranian officials, including the president, have expressed readiness for negotiations, they face resistance from others, who are particularly against interaction after the conflict.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Thursday that his country won the war but did not say whether talks with the United States should resume.
Aragchi also rejected requests from United Nations inspectors to assess the extent of damage to nuclear facilities that were bombed by the US and Israel, which he called "significant and serious."
Iran "currently" has no intention of receiving International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi, he said.
IAEA staff remained in the country throughout the Israeli campaign but were unable to conduct inspections during the bombings, and Iran continued to block access even after this week's ceasefire.
This means that inspectors cannot account for the whereabouts of Tehran's stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, which Israel and its allies believe could be used to build a nuclear weapon. Iran insists that its atomic program is peaceful.
A new law that took effect Thursday suspended all cooperation with the IAEA after officials accused the agency of giving Israel a pretext to launch its attacks, saying it could not determine whether Iran's nuclear program was "exclusively peaceful."
Iran ceases cooperation with IAEA27.06.25, 03:28 • [views_148903]
It is still unclear how the government will implement the law. Iran can only cease cooperation if it officially withdraws from the international agreement aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons, which is a more escalatory step that it has not yet taken, the newspaper writes.