Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has categorically dismissed the possibility of engaging in negotiations under pressure and intimidation.
“We will not negotiate under pressure and intimidation. We will not even consider it, no matter what the subject may be,” Araghchi said.
He reaffirmed the everlasting peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear energy program, emphasizing that there is fundamentally no such thing as its “potential militarization.”
"Iran's nuclear energy program has always been - and will always remain - entirely peaceful. There is fundamentally therefore no such thing as its "potential militarization," Araghchi said.
According to the top Iranian diplomat, consultations between Iran and the European troika - France, Germany and Britain - and separately with Russia and China are underway “on equal footing and mutual respect.”
“The aim is to explore ways to build more confidence and more transparency on our nuclear energy program in return for the lifting of unlawful sanctions,” Araghchi said.
He noted that the US enjoyed Iran’s respect in the past whenever it was respectful in its discourse, but it was confronted whenever it adopted a threatening posture.
“Every action compels a reaction,” Araghchi said.
