Esmaeil Baqaei, the spokesperson for the foreign ministry, stated at a routine news conference that there will be no discussion of issues pertaining to our defense capabilities.
All military operations, including its ballistic missile development, are often referred to as defensive by Iran.
In an interview with the CBS News program “Face The Nation” on Sunday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated that Western nations were looking for a “comprehensive agreement” with Iran, partly to prevent the “risk” that it would secretly pursue a nuclear weapon, an aim Tehran has continuously denied.
In reference to armed groups supported by Tehran throughout the Middle East, Barrot stated that such an agreement would cover “the nuclear dimension” in addition to the “ballistic component” and “the regional destabilization activities that Iran has been conducting.”
His comments came after Iranian diplomats met with their French, German, and British counterparts on Friday. These were the first nuclear talks since Israeli bombings last month that targeted the Islamic republic’s atomic activities descended into a 12-day war.
The three European powers, known as the E3, have been threatening in recent weeks to activate a so-called “snapback mechanism” under a moribund 2015 nuclear deal that would restore UN sanctions on Iran. This is why Friday’s meetings in Istanbul took place.
Unless a new, strong agreement is obtained by the end of summer, France, Germany, and the UK will reimpose the global embargo that was lifted ten years ago. Baqaei said that a nation cannot stay in the pact without sacrificing its rights, especially the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and Iran has threatened to withdraw Tehran from the agreement if sanctions are reinstated.
US-Iran nuclear talks have been hampered by Israel’s recent attacks on Iran, which killed top commanders and scientists and targeted civilian areas as well as military and nuclear facilities. The US hit important nuclear sites during its brief involvement in the conflict. Iran has reduced its cooperation with the UN’s nuclear inspectors as a result of the crisis. Iranian spokesman Baqaei said that bringing up other irrelevant subjects during the conference with European powers in Istanbul was a sign of uncertainty and that the meeting was centered on the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions. Israel’s will to protect all assets from international attack and enmity has helped Iran emerge from the war.
