Iran condemns new US sanctions on oil and shipping sectors

"They should explain why they attacked us in the middle of... negotiations, and they have to ensure that they are not going to repeat that," Araghchi said in an interview published on Thursday.

The official added that the US must take responsibility for striking Iran during ongoing diplomatic exchanges and that talks cannot resume without financial redress.

Iran confirms new enrichment plant near Isfahan was hit

A third enrichment facility near Isfahan was struck during last month’s conflict, Araghchi told FT, marking the first time Tehran has publicly acknowledged the site was targeted.

Araghchi said the plant had been prepared for activation in response to a formal censure by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s board of governors, which criticized Iran’s lack of cooperation.

“As far as I know, the preparations were made, but it was not active when it was attacked,” he said.

The site was hit as part of a broader US operation that, two days before a ceasefire, targeted Iran’s main enrichment centers at Fordow and Natanz and struck multiple facilities in Isfahan.

‘Road to negotiation is narrow’

Araghchi said he has been in contact with US envoy Steve Witkoff and that the two sides have exchanged messages before, during and after the war. He described the path to talks as narrow but not closed.

“I need to convince my hierarchy that if we go for negotiation, the other side is coming with real determination for a win-win deal,” he said. But he added that Tehran requires confidence-building measures before proceeding, including financial compensation and security assurances.

Araghchi repeated Iran’s rejection of US demands for “zero enrichment” and said Tehran would not abandon its rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. He said Iran still retains the knowledge and technical capability to resume high-level enrichment if needed.

Talks with IAEA expected next month

Though Iran suspended cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency after the war, Araghchi said Tehran expects to hold technical talks with the agency in the coming weeks to discuss a “new modality of cooperation.” He said the talks would not involve inspections.

Western officials say Iran’s nuclear infrastructure was heavily damaged but not eliminated, and that a significant stockpile of highly enriched uranium may remain.

Warning to Europe over snapback

Araghchi also warned the UK, France and Germany that any move to trigger the UN snapback mechanism, which would restore sanctions lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, would end Iran’s talks with them.

“If they do snapback, that means that this is the end of the road for them,” he said. “With the Europeans, there is no reason right now to negotiate because they cannot lift sanctions, they cannot do anything.”

The US said it remains open to direct talks with Iran but reaffirmed its maximum pressure strategy this week by announcing new sanctions on an Iranian oil shipping network.

More than 50 individuals and entities were designated, and over 50 vessels identified, in what the US Treasury called its largest Iran-related action since 2018.

“The Shamkhani family’s shipping empire highlights how the Iranian regime elites leverage their positions to accrue massive wealth and fund the regime’s dangerous behavior,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.

According to the Treasury, Hossein Shamkhani—who uses false identities including “H,” “Hector,” and “Hugo Hayek,” the name on his Dominican passport—built the network by exploiting his father’s political reach.

“This network transports oil and petroleum products from Iran and Russia, as well as other cargo, to buyers around the world, generating tens of billions of dollars in profit,” the Treasury press release said.

'Targeting elite not people'

The agency added that the network’s containership fleet also carries cargo in and out of Iran, employing tactics similar to those used by sanctioned oil tankers—frequent changes in operators and management firms to obscure ties to the Shamkhani family and avoid blacklisting.

The sweeping sanctions freeze any US-based assets and prohibit Americans from doing business with the named entities.

The Shamkhani family has also been accused of using its illicit wealth to obtain foreign passports and luxury properties abroad—privileges far removed from the daily struggles of ordinary Iranians.

“These sanctions target the regime’s elite inner circle,” Bessent said, “not the people of Iran.”

Ali Shamkhani, a former defense minister and former secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, was sanctioned by the US in 2020. Thursday’s action suggests Washington sees his family as central to Tehran’s efforts to evade international economic pressure.

Though enforcement depends on cooperation from third parties, the move signals Washington’s intent to escalate pressure on Iran’s ruling elite amid stalled nuclear diplomacy and deepening ties between Tehran and Moscow.

Lawmakers approved Article 5 of the “Support for Iranians Abroad” bill in a public session on Wednesday, mandating that the ministry gather data on expatriates and establish communication mechanisms within six months of the law taking effect.

The ministry must also report annually to the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee on progress.

The legislation does not specify what categories of personal data will be collected, how it will be gathered, or whether the consent of individuals will be required.

The measure follows President Masoud Pezeshkian’s public call earlier this month for Iranians abroad to return “without fear,” urging the judiciary and intelligence agencies to coordinate efforts to ensure their safety.

“These individuals are also assets of this land,” Pezeshkian said during a July 26 meeting at the foreign ministry.

He emphasized the need to “create a framework” that encourages comfortable returns, echoing comments by Culture Minister Reza Salehi Amiri, who said the country was “rolling out the red carpet.”

Yet the renewed outreach has been met with skepticism. In recent years, several dual and foreign-based nationals have been detained upon arrival or departure from Iran, often without transparent legal proceedings.

Earlier this week, Siamak Namazi, a former Iranian-American prisoner who was held in Iran for eight years, criticized Pezeshkian’s call, accusing the Islamic Republic of continuing a “heinous diplomacy of hostage-taking.”

Among the most recent cases was Nasrin Roshan, a British-Iranian dual citizen detained in November 2023 at Tehran’s airport and held for 550 days before her release in May. Similarly, Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh was arrested shortly after returning in early 2024 and later sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Revolutionary Court.

The broader legislation, initially passed in outline form last week with support from 209 lawmakers, proposes easing bureaucratic barriers, offering consular services, and revisiting policies on dual citizenship, investment, and education for Iranians abroad.

Still, some lawmakers voiced doubt about its potential impact.

“Until domestic issues such as administrative corruption, a weak banking system, and lack of meritocracy are resolved, this bill will not encourage Iranians to return,” said MP Ahmad Fatemi of Babol earlier this month.

A December 2024 nationwide survey on migration found that while 19% of 12,000 respondents were living abroad, only one in five expressed interest in returning. The same study revealed that just 16% of Iranians were not considering emigration.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that a pledge to avoid further strikes was a necessary condition for restarting cooperation between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has been limited in its access to Iranian sites.

Dialogue with China and Iran

Zakharova pointed to recent trilateral talks between Iran, Russia, and China as a sign that a nuclear agreement remains possible through diplomacy. She said ongoing dialogue could create space for progress, if conducted in good faith.

She referred to joint meetings in New York and Tehran where the three sides discussed ways to protect the 2015 nuclear deal and coordinate against efforts to revive UN sanctions. Russia said it supports a diplomatic framework that includes security assurances and avoids military pressure.

Beijing and Moscow have expressed support for Iran’s call for a new model of cooperation with the IAEA, after Iran’s parliament voted in late June to suspend collaboration with the agency following a ceasefire with Israel and demanded security guarantees before restoring access.

Pressure builds over snapback threat

The statements come as Iran, China and Russia have held joint meetings in New York and Tehran to coordinate their stance on the risk of snapback UN sanctions, penalties lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal that could return if no new agreement is reached.

Iranian officials have warned they may leave the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if European powers, France, Germany and the UK, trigger the mechanism, which they have threatened to do by the end of August.

“When the IAEA effectively plays the role of America and the Zionist regime’s eyes, Iran must firmly resolve to blind the eyes of Mossad and the CIA,” the paper said on Monday, citing espionage devices allegedly hidden in personal belongings.

Earlier this month, Mahmoud Nabavian, deputy chair of parliament’s National Security Committee, said that “suspicious espionage chips” had been discovered in the shoes of IAEA inspectors during visits to Iranian nuclear sites.

“Iran must now act decisively to neutralize these threats,” Kayhan added.

Parliament passed legislation in late June to suspend cooperation with the agency, accusing it of having given intelligence to the US and Israel which helped attacks on nuclear facilities, key personnel and sensitive sites in the country in last month's 12-day war.

Under the law, future inspections require approval from the Supreme National Security Council -- under the supervision of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei -- and the agency must guarantee nuclear site security.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Monday that a new framework for cooperation with the agency was under discussion.

“We remain a party to the safeguards agreements and a senior agency official will visit Iran within two weeks,” he said.

Last week, Grossi said that Iran has signaled readiness to resume technical-level discussions with the UN nuclear watchdog, though any planned visit would not yet involve inspectors.

kayhan warned, “This disgraceful record demands that all interactions with the agency be conducted with maximum caution and a thoroughly distrustful outlook."

Judicial official Ali Mozaffari said this month that Iran may try IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi in absentia over his alleged role in facilitating attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Grossi has faced consistent criticism from Iranian outlets for political bias, including Kayhan’s earlier call for his arrest and execution.

Britain, France, and Germany condemned the threats and expressed full support for Grossi and the agency’s mandate.