Keeping the door open for diplomacy, Iran has stated that any negotiation process with the United States is meaningless unless Washington provides a credible guarantee to prevent future acts of aggression by Israel and the US. In an email interview with ANI, Iranian Ambassador to India Dr Iraj Elahi emphasised Tehran’s conditions for resuming dialogue with Washington.
“As for negotiations with the United States, considering their betrayal of diplomacy and complicity with the Zionist regime in launching illegal attacks on Iran — while a diplomatic process was still ongoing — there will be no meaning or value in any talks unless a credible guarantee is provided to prevent the recurrence of such acts of aggression by the US and Israel in future negotiations,” he said. The ambassador was referring to two major military operations carried out last month.
On June 13, Israel launched “Operation Rising Lion”, conducting widespread airstrikes on Iranian soil targeting nuclear sites at Natanz and Fordow, missile production centres, and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) command bases. Several top IRGC commanders and nuclear scientists were reportedly assassinated during the operation.
This was followed by US strikes on June 21-22 under “Operation Midnight Hammer”, which also targeted Iranian nuclear infrastructure. Iran has strongly condemned both operations, calling them a blatant violation of international law and the UN Charter. “The Israeli regime, which possesses nuclear weapons and has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), attacked our country under the pretext of preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. There is no evidence of such intentions, and our nuclear program is under the strictest IAEA inspections,” Elahi stated.
He further added that the US attacks lacked any legal justification and described them as “a crime of aggression.” He also claimed that the operations involved cyber and terrorist elements, resulting in the deaths of several scientists, professors, military figures, and innocent civilians. “These attacks represent an unprecedented and flagrant violation of Article 2, Paragraph 4 of the UN Charter, the non-proliferation regime, resolutions of the IAEA Board of Governors, and UN Security Council Resolution 2231,” Elahi said.
The envoy also accused the US and Israel of undermining diplomacy. “The Zionist regime’s attacks, in collusion with the US, occurred just two days before the sixth round of Iran-U.S. negotiations. It was a betrayal of diplomacy and a clear indication of America’s lack of seriousness in dialogue.” Dismissing Israel’s justification of the attack as a preemptive act to neutralise an existential threat, Elahi asserted, “This claim is entirely baseless and has no foundation in international law. Iran has never attacked any country in its history. Even though we do not recognise Israel and view it as an occupying and apartheid regime, our position on the Palestinian issue is peaceful — a referendum involving all original inhabitants.”
On the nuclear issue, the ambassador reiterated that Iran’s programme remains peaceful. “According to IAEA reports, Iran’s nuclear activities show no deviation toward weaponisation. The justification by Israel and the US for attacking peaceful facilities is both illegal and illogical.” Responding to questions about Iran’s recent decision to limit cooperation with the IAEA, Elahi said Tehran remains a member of the NPT and is committed to its provisions. However, he blamed the Agency’s politicisation for the current situation.
“The Parliament’s decision to suspend cooperation reflects public dissatisfaction with the IAEA’s biased behaviour, especially its Director General’s silence on the attacks. The expectation was that he would either help prevent such aggression or at least condemn it — he did neither,” Elahi said. While reiterating Iran’s willingness for diplomacy, the envoy stressed that meaningful negotiations are only possible if the US ensures there will be no repeat of such attacks in the future.
