Iran says no return to talks until US drops ‘excessive demands’

Abbas Araghchi told reporters in the northeastern city of Mashhad that Iran remained committed to diplomacy but would not compromise on its national rights.

He said five rounds of indirect talks with Washington had taken place before the 12-day conflict in June that saw US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and that subsequent discussions on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly also failed due to US demands.

“This year, after five rounds of negotiations, the United States joined Israel’s military attack against Iran. Later, in New York, there was also an opportunity for a reasonable, mutually beneficial agreement -- but once again, the talks failed because of America’s excessive demands,” he said.

He added, “As long as the Americans persist in their policy of overreach and continue to make unreasonable demands, we will not return to the negotiating table.”

“Iran has always shown that it believes in peace and diplomacy,” Araghchi emphasized. “Wherever the country’s interests can be secured through dialogue, we will not hesitate to act. But the other side has repeatedly proven it does not adhere to diplomacy.”

The comments came as Araghchi arrived in Mashhad to attend a two-day regional diplomacy conference alongside senior Iranian officials, business leaders, and ambassadors to neighboring and Asian countries.

Earlier in the day, the foreign ministry spokesperson said Iran must rely on both its missile capabilities and diplomacy to safeguard national interests.

Speaking earlier in the day in the same city, Esmail Baghaei said: “We must use all tools to protect the country’s rights -- whether through missiles or diplomacy and negotiation.”

The collapse of the talks followed months of rising tension over Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, compounded by the reimposition of UN sanctions under the 2015 nuclear deal’s snapback mechanism.