“Iran is ready to consider diplomacy once again once the aggression is stopped, and the aggressor is held accountable for crimes committed,” Araghchi told reporters in Geneva.
“Iran will continue exercising its legitimate right of self-defense against the regime. And we will continue to do so as long as atrocities continue,” he added.
Araghchi met with the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. He said they had “serious” discussions and expressed his readiness to meet with them again, though he criticized them for not condemning Israel’s attacks on Iran.
The conflict began last Friday when Israel carried out strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, and assassinated many top military commanders and nuclear scientists. The military escalation brought an end to Iran’s indirect nuclear talks with Washington.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who also attended the meeting, told reporters that regional escalation benefits no one. “That’s why we need to keep the discussions with Tehran open,” she said.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy also said that they are keen on keeping discussions going with Iran.
“We urge Iran to continue the talks with the United States. This is a perilous moment. And it is hugely important that we don’t see regional escalation of this conflict,” he said.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that the aim of the meeting was to help de-escalate the conflict and find a lasting solution to the security issues, such as Iran's military nuclear programme, which he said "has become considerably more aggressive in recent years and poses an existential threat to Israel, the countries in the region and also European countries," according to AFP.
Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), told the United Nations Security Council on Friday that his agency can “guarantee through a water-tight inspection system that nuclear weapons will not be developed in Iran.”
Tehran has consistently maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful and it does not seek a weapon.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would make a decision within two weeks on whether the US will become directly involved in the conflict, adding that there is “a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future.”
Trump had suggested on Monday that Iran may be open to negotiations, but Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei dismissed the possibility, saying that Israeli attacks have “practically emptied the diplomatic process and negotiations of meaning and substance.”
In a joint statement following the meeting, the European foreign ministers said “They shared their grave concerns with regard to the escalation of tensions in the Middle East and reiterated their firm commitment to Israel’s security. They expressed their view that all sides should refrain from taking steps which lead to further escalation in the region, and urgently find a negotiated solution to ensure that Iran never obtains or acquires a nuclear weapon.”
Updated at 10:30 pm.
