EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas urged Iran to immediately restart negotiations on ending its nuclear program during a Tuesday phone call with the country’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi.
“Negotiations on ending Iran’s nuclear program should restart as soon as possible. Cooperation with the IAEA must resume. The EU is ready to facilitate this,” Kallas said following the call, referring to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“Any threats to pull out of the Non-Proliferation Treaty don’t help to lower tensions,” she added. Tehran had said on June 17 that its parliament was drafting legislation to withdraw from the NPT.
Araghchi reported that he had emphasized Tehran’s deep mistrust of the United States during the call. He also condemned the “destructive approach” that “some European countries” and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi had taken to the recent conflict between Israel and Iran. Their support for Israel and the United States complicates diplomatic efforts, Araghchi said, although he didn’t specify which countries he meant.
The call between Kallas and Araghchi came amid heightened international concern over Iran’s nuclear ambitions following the collapse of its 2015 nuclear deal with the U.S. and Washington’s dramatic June 21 strikes on its nuclear enrichment facilities. That strike snuffed out a nascent effort by European politicians to defuse tensions in talks with Araghchi.
Hostilities between Iran and Israel have also escalated over the past fortnight with a series of strikes and counterstrikes, culminating on Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declaration of victory in the country’s “Rising Lion” operation to curb Iran’s nuclear capabilities. However, some reports suggest Iran’s nuclear program has been delayed by a few months at most.
A ceasefire announced last week by U.S. President Donald Trump appears to be holding. Netanyahu’s office announced on Tuesday that the Israeli leader will visit the U.S. next week to meet with Trump, underscoring ongoing diplomatic efforts to keep the peace.
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