In an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde, Araqchi stated, “Even under the difficult conditions of sanctions, the assassination of our scientists, and acts of sabotage, we have demonstrated our commitment to the NPT. Moreover, we believe that compliance with the treaty’s provisions should not be one-sided.”
Araqchi said, “Our uranium enrichment is carried out based on our rights under the NPT, and we have always maintained that we have no military objectives. Even now, after being attacked, we have not deviated from our official policy of refraining from pursuing nuclear weapons.”
Regarding France’s threat to reimpose sanctions on Iran through the snapback mechanism, he said, “Threatening sanctions does not help diplomacy. If Europe truly wants to play a central role, it must demonstrate independence and neutrality.”
On Iran’s missile program, Araqchi reiterated, “We have repeatedly emphasized that our missile program is purely defensive and deterrent in nature. Given that Iran is constantly threatened by Israel and the United States — and is now under attack — it is unreasonable to expect us to abandon our defensive capabilities.”
In response to a question about a proposal to form a consortium between Iran and certain regional countries to establish a joint civilian nuclear energy program, he said: “Iran has always welcomed ideas based on international and regional cooperation and transparency, although success in this area has been limited.”
Regarding the resumption of talks between Iran and the US, Araqchi said: “Iran has consistently shown that it is fundamentally ready for dialogue based on mutual respect. But our counterpart (the US) violated a multilateral international agreement. During the negotiations, it violated our airspace and attacked our facilities.”
He said it is essential that responsibility for these mistakes be acknowledged, and a clear sign of a change in behavior be demonstrated. It must be guaranteed that in future negotiations, the United States will not engage in military attacks.
