Iran rebuffs Israel’s demand for giving up nuclear programme in US talks
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Israel’s ‘fantasy that it can dictate what Iran may or may not do is detached from reality’
Iran accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday of trying to dictate US policy in negotiations, after he called for the complete dismantling of Tehran’s nuclear programme and for the inclusion of its ballistic missile capabilities in any deal.
“What is striking … is how brazenly Netanyahu is now dictating what President Trump can and cannot do in his diplomacy with Iran,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a social media post.
On Sunday, Netanyahu said any real Iran-US deal would be one “which removes Iran’s capacity to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons” and “bring in the prevention of ballistic missiles”.
The remarks came a day after Iranian and US delegations met in Oman for a third round of high-level talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme, with both sides reporting progress.
US President Donald Trump sent a letter in March to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urging talks and warning of possible military action if Iran refused.
Since he returned to office in January, Trump revived his “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign, mirroring his approach during his first term when he withdrew from a 2015 landmark nuclear deal with Iran.
The talks began on April 12, with Tehran insisting they should be solely focused on the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions.