Foreign minister says Israel aware of consequences of attacking Iran’s nuclear sites

“Whenever the Zionist regime takes an action against the Islamic Republic, we will respond with comparable and proportionate measures,” the top diplomat said during a televised interview on Saturday.

“In fact, they know what will happen if they carry out an attack against our nuclear installations,” he added.

The official reminded that the regime has issued a number of threats against the Islamic Republic’s nuclear sites, which Tehran has duly reported to the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Regional trips

Araghchi, meanwhile, pointed to the back-to-back regional trips that he made earlier this year, noting that the visits came amid intensified deadly aggression by the regime against various countries and resistance groups in the region.

In such context, the trips, the official said, served to both convey Iran’s continued support for the resistance, besides indicating the Islamic Republic’s ongoing strength and the country’s refusal to back down from its objectives and ideals.

The visits also helped to neutralize the propagandist efforts that had been made by the regime and its allies to tarnish the image of the resistance and its capabilities, Araghchi said.

He said, in response to the campaign, he travelled to various regional countries, including Iraq and Lebanon, to witness the situation on the ground in person and reaffirm that the Axis of Resistance was in favorable conditions and had retained its social status.

The trips also contributed to formation of a common understanding among regional nations concerning the threats that were posed to the region by the regime, whose warlike ambitions exceeded the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, which have been subject to extensive Israeli aggression for more than a year, Araghchi said.

He said he warned the nations during the trips that the regime “harbors bigger ambitions and seeks to drag the entire region into war and conflagration.”

Advising IAEA to steer clear of political approach

Elsewhere in his remarks, Araghchi pointed to the likelihood of the IAEA Board of Governors’ issuance of a resolution against Iran targeting the country’s nuclear energy program.

He warned that such resolution would be met with “new actions” on the part of the Islamic Republic, “which they would surely not be happy about.”

The official reminded that the IAEA was a technical organization bound by its relevant duties, which it had to observe by refraining from politicizing its decisions.

“It looks like there is a political approach in this area, [as part of which] the Westerners are trying to force the agency’s Director General [Rafael Grossi] into complicating the situation,” the top diplomat stated.

He, however, asserted that “our attitude towards the IAEA is a completely professional attitude,” adding, “As long as the agency acts on its professional duties, Iran will cooperate with it too.”

Araghchi said the IAEA’s recourse to a technical approach to its standing differences with Iran would help resolve the differences.

“Considering that we are certain about the peaceful nature of our nuclear program, we have no problem in cooperating with the agency towards proving this matter.”

The official underlined that the country continued to be a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and would stay committed to whatever obligation that such membership entailed.

‘JCPA can’t be restored to its former glory’

Araghchi, however, noted that Iran had stopped meeting its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a 2015 nuclear agreement between the Islamic Republic and world countries, in response to the United States unilateral and illegal withdrawal from the deal in 2018 and failure on the part of the JCPOA’s European parties to make up for Washington’s mistake.

Talks, though, could resume between Iran and the European countries soon towards enabling the JCPOA’s revival, the top diplomat said.

The agreement would, nevertheless, be short of its previous quality upon likely revival and could not be restored to its former status, the official noted, saying the deal could only be used as a reference for potential agreement that could take place in the future.

He, however, warned that any upcoming talks would open up a limited opportunity for agreement, reminding that the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that endorsed the JCPOA upon its conclusion, would expire next October.

“Therefore, if we fall short of coming to an agreement before that, we will come across some critical conditions.”

‘Iran prepared for whatever scenario’

According to Araghchi, Iran was, however, “completely ready” to engage in fresh negotiation that would yield results if the opposite parties were “truly wiling” to lead the talks towards fruition too.

“We are prepared for various scenarios, whether we reach a point of confrontation or interaction,” he said, reminding that the Islamic Republic had similarly announced its readiness for whatever scenario in the face of the Israeli regime too.

In the same context, Araghchi underscored the Islamic Republic’s position of reserving its right to defend itself in the face of the regime and respond to the acts of aggression that it perpetrated against the country last month.

“We, ourselves, will decide about the time and quality [of the response],” he said, asserting, “We will take this action and have been declaring [our intention to do so] since the very day that followed the aggression.”

On Trump’s resurgence

The official, meanwhile, pointed to the underway formation of the new American administration, saying he had observed no differences in the positions that had been adopted on the part of Washington so far.

Iran, however, was still awaiting completion of the political process, and would adapt its policies in proportion to Washington’s policies and attitude.

“We adjust our goals and ideals in light of our interests. Our behavior would be in proportion to their policies,” he said, adding, “What matters is what they will employ in the field of action.”