Araqchi: Iran Open to Fair Talks Based on Mutual Interests, Mutual Respect Once US Ready

“Whenever the US is prepared for fair negotiations on the basis of mutual interests and mutual respect, we will start the talks,” Araqchi said in an address to the National Conference on Investment Capabilities and Opportunities at Iran’s Free Trade Zones, held in Tehran on Saturday.

Araqchi emphasized that negotiations have not been removed from Iran’s agenda but have taken on “new forms and dimensions.”

“We must recognize the new concerns and elements and design our approach accordingly, and we are doing so,” he stated.

Araqchi underscored that the removal of sanctions must naturally be pursued through negotiations. “We were serious about negotiations to lift sanctions. After the unjust war imposed on us and after our forces’ heroic defense, naturally the talks will have a different shape compared to before the war,” he added.

The senior diplomat warned against two mistakes in dealing with sanctions, saying, “One is to deny the existence of sanctions, and the other is to surrender to them.”

He stressed that although the powers imposing sanctions had sought to paralyze Iran with “crippling sanctions,” the reality is that “Iran has stood firm and steadfast.”

Commenting on Iran’s nuclear file, Araqchi noted that relations between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had been shaken following the recent Israeli attacks, but pointed to ongoing efforts to establish a new framework of cooperation.

“We need a new framework for cooperation with the IAEA. Fortunately, our negotiations with the Agency have already started, and we are close to achieving this new framework,” Araqchi explained.

He said the forthcoming framework will be aligned with the law passed by Iran’s Parliament, as well as the realities on the ground, enabling “a new round of cooperation with the Agency in which all the concerns and provisions specifically reflected in Parliament’s law are taken into account.”