Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, made the remarks while answering questions put forward by journalists in his Sunday presser.
In response to a question regarding Iran’s engagement with the IAEA and the mediation efforts of some countries, including Egypt, Baghaei stated Tehran Iran does not need mediation in the framework of its interaction with the Agency. "Our representative in Vienna is active. We are members of the Agency, we present our positions publicly, and we convey them directly in discussions with Agency officials. As long as we remain members of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, we consider ourselves bound by its obligations.”
“The problem began when the United States and Israel, by attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities, obstructed the cooperation process between Iran and the Agency,” the senior Iranian diplomat added.
On June 13, Israel launched a blatant and unprovoked aggression against Iran while Washington and Tehran were in a process of nuclear negotiations. The Israeli attack triggered a 12-day war that killed at least 1,064 people in the country, including military commanders, nuclear scientists, and ordinary civilians.
The United States also entered the war by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites in a grave violation of international law.
In response, the Iranian Armed Forces targeted strategic sites across the occupied territories as well as the Al-Udeid air base in Qatar, the largest American military base in West Asia.
On June 24, Iran, through its successful retaliatory operations against both the Israeli regime and the US, managed to impose a halt to the aggression.
Criticizing the recent Board of Governors statement against Iran, Baghaei continued, “Unfortunately, the opposing parties ignore the facts, and the Board of Governors should hold the United States, the Zionist regime, and their supporters accountable for their attacks on Iran, rather than speaking about Iran’s alleged non-cooperation.”
Elsewhere in his remarks, Baghaei noted that engagements and negotiations to strengthen and expand Iran-Russia cooperation on peaceful nuclear energy continue with the same vigor and seriousness as before.
Regarding the issue of mediation for negotiations with the United States, he stated, “The matter is not about mediation or intermediaries at all. The issue goes back to the approach and policy of the United States—that is, the US not being serious about negotiations and, fundamentally, its approach to negotiations being based more on dictation than on conventional diplomatic give-and-take. As long as the United States insists on this approach, no meaningful negotiation can take place. Therefore, the issue of mediators and mediation is a secondary matter.”
MNA