“It must be said that this is nothing new; in situations like this, there are always some countries — both within the region and outside it — that try to put forward ideas and offer assistance to prevent tensions from escalating,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei told IRNA on the sidelines of a conference in Tehran on Sunday. “But as for whether these exchanges are leading toward any meaningful negotiations, we are not at that stage at the moment,” he added.

Asked to comment on a recent move by three European powers – Britain, France, and Germany – to draft an anti-Iran resolution at the IAEA Board of Governors, Baqaei said that “what they intend to do at the Board of Governors is nominally a technical resolution, but we know that this resolution is not purely technical and operates beyond that. In fact, they are trying to do the same thing here that they did at the UN Security Council …and they are pursuing a similar approach in this case as well.”  

He argued that this measure indicates that the Europeans are not serious in their claims that they are open to dialogue.

Noting that their previous measure at the UN Security Council met opposition from Russia and China, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Iran believes that the two permanent members of the council will oppose their new move at the IAEA Board of Governors.

“We have never been afraid of dialogue,” he said, adding that “we have said before, and we repeat it again, that any negotiation has its requirements. For talks and diplomacy to materialize, the parties to a negotiation process must not pursue maximalist demands or attempt to dictate terms.”  

“When this condition is met, I believe Iran – as it has shown in the past – will not hesitate to use diplomacy to safeguard its national interests,” he added.