Iran ready for US talks if Washington drops ‘bullying' tactics - Lawmaker

Fereydoun Abbasi, highlighting the history of Iran’s nuclear program, emphasized that “Nuclear knowledge in our country is distributed across both the educational and research sectors; it is not confined to the Atomic Energy Organization [AEO] or limited to specific facilities and sites associated with it. We are active in nuclear education and research nationwide.”

Abbasi is considered a political hardliner and was the head of AEO during populist President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad prior to 2013.

He dismissed President Donald Trump’s threats of strikes on Iran as “bluffing” and called his other statements about Greenland and Canada as “America’s excessive appetite.”

He noted that since mid-1970s, when the Atomic Center of the University of Tehran was transformed into the Atomic Energy Organization, “nuclear work in our country began to take an organized form, and its management came to be regarded as part of the country’s senior leadership. In other words, it moved beyond being merely an academic endeavor.”

He emphasized that AEO is at the level of a government department and its director is considered a presidential deputy. But he portrayed Iran’s nuclear activities as partly decentralized. “Nuclear knowledge in our country is distributed across both education and research sectors; it is not limited to the Atomic Energy Organization or confined to specific sites and facilities associated with it. We carry out nuclear education and research activities nationwide.”

At the same time Abbasi stressed that Iran is fully cooperation with UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and is subject to detailed inspections.

However, since 2021, Tehran has significantly restricted the international watchdog’s access to its sensitive uranium enrichment sites, while producing 60% enriched fissile material—far beyond what is needed for civilian purposes.

Abbasi noted that in case of a US attack, protecting nuclear sites will be vital and Iran should have strong air defenses. He said that the adversary is well aware of Iran’s capabilities, implying that Iran has strong air defenses. However, in October, Israel carried out air strikes on a series of Iranian targets including its Russian-made S-300 anti-air missile batteries. According to both Israeli and various media reports, most of the air defense network was destroyed in the attack.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has called for diplomatic solutions to rising tensions between the United States and Iran, saying that Ankara does not want to see any attack on Iran.

Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of a NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels on Friday, Fidan emphasized the need for dialogue to resolve the dispute, particularly in light of recent threats of military action.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, in an interview with Le Figaro, expressed skepticism about the prospects of a new nuclear deal with Iran, citing significant differences in vision between Washington and Tehran.

Saar indicated that while conditions have changed since the 2015 agreement, he remains doubtful that the current diplomatic efforts will lead to a successful outcome.

"The gaps between the American vision and the Iranian vision remain very important," Saar said.

He highlighted what he called a tougher president in the US, a new Iranian administration, and a heightened European awareness of Iran's destabilizing activities as key factors in the current dynamic.

"We have a tougher president in the White House now. Iran also has a new leader. And the Europeans have become aware – especially with the war in Ukraine highlighting Tehran's support for Russia. Plus, they've seen Iran's direct attacks against us in April and October 2024, and they understand what its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, have been capable of since October 7th. We no longer need to explain Iran's aggression.”

He also pointed out that the actions of Iran and its armed allies, especially since the October 7th attacks, have brought to the forefront the risks of Iran gaining a nuclear weapon. "Today everyone is asking the same question: if they did that without nuclear, what will they do the day they have a nuclear umbrella?" he said.

A sustained air campaign by the United States and Israel could inflict significant damage on Iran's nuclear facilities, but such action would likely need to be repeated within nine months to a year to prevent Tehran from rebuilding its program, a former US defense official has told the Wall Street Journal.

The former official's assessment suggests that any military intervention would likely result in a temporary setback rather than a definitive end to the program.

The Kremlin on Friday urged all parties involved in the issue of Iran's nuclear program to exercise restraint and seek a political and diplomatic resolution.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that dialogue and negotiation are the appropriate means to address concerns surrounding Iran's nuclear ambitions.

"We believe that the problem of the Iranian nuclear dossier should be discussed and resolved only by political and diplomatic means. Exclusively," he told reporters. "And, of course, we believe that all parties should maintain absolute restraint here and focus specifically on diplomatic efforts when discussing all issues.”

Peskov added that while Russia is in the process of restoring bilateral relations with the United States, Iran remains an ally of Moscow. "You know that we are currently working on restoring our relations with the United States, but Iran is also our partner, our ally, with whom we have very developed and multifaceted relations."

Russia has previously offered to mediate discussions between Tehran and Washington.