The United States and Iran traded sharp accusations Tuesday at the United Nations Security Council over the conditions for reviving nuclear talks, with Washington saying it remains open to direct negotiations and Tehran rejecting US demands as unfair and unlawful.
The two countries held five rounds of nuclear talks before a 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June, which escalated when the United States joined the conflict by striking Iranian nuclear facilities.
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Washington saying it remains open to direct negotiations and Tehran rejecting US demands as unfair and unlawful
(Photo: CameraObscura82 shutterstock, Smolkov Vladislav Shutterstock, Mohammed Yassin/ Reuters, Iranian Leader's Press Office, Mandel NGAN / AFP)
Those talks stalled over major disagreements, particularly Iran’s uranium enrichment program. Western powers say enrichment on Iranian soil must be eliminated to prevent weaponization, a position Tehran has firmly rejected.
“The United States remains available for formal talks with Iran, but only if Tehran is prepared for direct and meaningful dialogue,” Morgan Ortagus, President Donald Trump’s deputy Middle East envoy, told the Security Council.
“We have been clear about certain expectations for any arrangement,” she said. “Foremost, there can be no enrichment inside Iran, and that remains our principle.”
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, countered that Washington was not pursuing genuine negotiations by insisting on a zero-enrichment policy.
“We appreciate any fair and meaningful negotiation, but insisting on a zero enrichment policy is contrary to our rights as a member of the NPT,” Iravani said, referring to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. “That means they are not pursuing fair negotiation.”
“They want to dictate their predetermined intentions on Iran,” he added. “Iran will not bow to pressure or intimidation.”
The dispute comes after the United Nations reinstated an arms embargo and other sanctions on Iran in late September through a process known as “snapback,” triggered by European powers. Russia and China disputed the move.
Britain, France and Germany initiated the snapback mechanism after accusing Iran of violating the 2015 nuclear deal designed to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon. Iran denies seeking nuclear arms and says its program is purely peaceful.
The 2015 agreement is enshrined in a Security Council resolution adopted the same year. The 15-member council has met twice annually to review its implementation.
Tuesday’s briefing was requested by Britain, France, the United States, Denmark, Greece, Slovenia and South Korea. Russia and China objected to the meeting, arguing that all provisions of the resolution expired on October 18, but the session went ahead as scheduled.