He said Washington had rejected Iran’s position of resisting American domination and refusing to submit to US power.
“Therefore, as you said, the nuclear issue is nothing more than a pretext,” Araghchi stated.
The Iranian foreign minister noted that Tehran had entered three rounds of negotiations with Washington, all of which ultimately resulted in war against Iran.
“Bear in mind that we entered into three rounds of negotiations with the American side, and all three previous rounds ultimately led to war against us,” he said.
Araghchi was referring to two rounds of what Iran describes as unprovoked US-Israeli aggression against the country, launched last June and from February 28 to April 7 this year. Both took place while Tehran and Washington were engaged in negotiations.
He also referred to negotiations in June that resulted in a Pakistan-mediated memorandum of understanding between the two sides, which Washington subsequently violated.
“Therefore, there is no trust in the American approach,” the Iranian diplomat said.
Despite the lack of trust, Araghchi said Iran had presented a Seven-Day Plan proposing the conditional reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran closed the strategic waterway in retaliation for the latest round of US-Israeli aggression and what it describes as continued American violations.
Under the proposed plan, the United States must first fulfill its commitments under the Islamabad memorandum. The two sides would then reach an understanding on the Strait of Hormuz, followed by the waterway’s reopening under agreed arrangements and further negotiations aimed at securing a final agreement.
Araghchi said the proposal was intended to prevent the complete collapse of diplomatic efforts.
He stressed that diplomacy could produce results only if the other side honored the understandings already reached.
Progress, he added, depends on Washington fulfilling its previous commitments and reaching an understanding with Tehran over the Strait of Hormuz.
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