Iran lays down conditions to resume US nuclear talks

The Cradle, July 24, 2025 —

While Israel threatens renewed aggression, Tehran demands US guarantees and enrichment rights before any negotiations can resume.

Iran is ready to resume nuclear negotiations with the US as long as certain principles are upheld, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on 24 July, ahead of a scheduled meeting with European states in Istanbul.

According to Gharibabadi, talks could proceed if Washington guarantees that the negotiations would not lead to renewed military action, if mutual trust is established, and if Tehran’s rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) are respected.

His remarks come one day after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that uranium enrichment cannot be abandoned following severe damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities during the war launched by Israel and supported by US airstrikes.

“It is stopped because, yes, damages are serious and severe. But obviously we cannot give up (on) enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists. And now, more than that, it is a question of national pride,” Araghchi told Fox News on 21 July.

He added that the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, is in good health and that Tehran remains open to nuclear negotiations, though direct talks with Washington are not under consideration “for the time being.”

Araghchi stressed that any new talks must address the US and Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, including the Fordow site, during the 12-day war in June. He said the strikes led to Iran’s decision to suspend cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Despite the ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump on 23 June, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated on 27 June that he had instructed the military to prepare plans to strike Iranian nuclear and missile infrastructure again.

“If we must return, we will do so with greater force,” Katz said during a military graduation event, threatening that “Israel’s long arm will reach you in Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, and anywhere you try to threaten or harm Israel.”

Meanwhile, Moscow and Beijing reaffirmed coordination on the Iranian nuclear file during a 13 July meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. 

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the two discussed the issue as part of wider efforts to confront “challenges brought about by a turbulent and changing world.”