No set date for next round of talks with European troika, Iran says

Iran had come close to developing an atomic bomb and could try again if no agreement is reached to defuse the threat, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Monday.

“It had almost reached that point and will try again if an agreement is not reached to defuse this danger,” Tajani said in an interview with Morning News on Canale 5.

Italy is working to facilitate dialogue between Tehran and Washington, he added.

“Italy is playing an important role, also in trying to help organize, possibly in Rome, the meeting between Iran and the United States,” he said.

No country is allowed—indeed, it is prohibited—to permit its territory to be used for hostile actions by others, Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry warned the neighbors on Monday.

“Many reports have been published on this issue. We have shared this information and some speculations with the relevant countries. Neighboring states are certainly aware of their duties and commitments, both under good neighborly policies and international law,” he said.

“Without exception, all neighboring countries have assured us that they will under no circumstances permit Israel to misuse their airspace or territory for aggressive actions against Iran,” Baqaei added.

A special committee under Iran’s presidential legal affairs office is compiling evidence of Israeli attacks to present to international authorities, including human rights bodies, the UN Security Council, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday.

“Israel’s actions constitute an act of aggression under international law, involving multiple war crimes,” Esmaeil Baqaei, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said at a weekly briefing.

“We are documenting crimes committed by a regime officially recognized internationally as an apartheid entity, which is subject to prosecution by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The recent actions against Iran have clearly added to its record of crimes. We are pursuing this matter seriously.”

The recent IAEA report provided a pretext for Israeli and US military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and led to a resolution by the Board of Governors, spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Monday.

“The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has clear technical duties and its director general must avoid political influence,” Esmaeil Baqaei said.

“While Iran continues to address agency performance issues with relevant bodies, these should not overshadow the core issue—the illegality of Israel and the US’s attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites.”

Germany and France’s positions on Israel’s aggression against Iran are “definitely unacceptable,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday.

Recent German officials’ remarks will leave a “historic and eternal shame” on Germany, he added.

Baghaei called the use of language “reminiscent of Nazi-era justifications” and urged the German public and international community to hold their leaders accountable.

Germany's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt expressed support for Israel’s recent attacks on Iran during a visit to Israel on Sunday.