Araghchi: U.S. Remarks Amount to “Dictation, Not Negotiation”
WANA (Dec 24) – Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has dismissed recent comments by a U.S. official at the UN Security Council regarding negotiations with Tehran, saying they reflect coercion rather than genuine diplomacy.
Araghchi was responding to remarks made by Morgan Ortagus, the U.S. deputy special envoy for West Asia, during Tuesday’s UN Security Council meeting on Iran. In a post on the social media platform X on Wednesday, the Iranian foreign minister wrote:
“A new definition of diplomacy by the U.S.: ‘We are ready for a meaningful negotiation, but forget about your internationally recognized rights.’ This is dictation and not negotiation, let alone a meaningful one.”
He added that the world had witnessed Iran’s approach to negotiations when the United States “opted to open fire on our people and torpedoed diplomacy.”
“We did what we always do: resist and confront those who assault us, and make sure they regret it,” Araghchi said.
The foreign minister also criticized Washington’s claims of pursuing diplomacy, saying that “‘extending the hand of diplomacy’ does not entail sending bombers and then crow about their failure as a success.”
He concluded by urging the United States to “try real and honest diplomacy instead of attempting to deceive the world.”
Yesterday, Morgan Ortagus, the adviser to the U.S. mission to the United Nations, said at a UN Security Council meeting that the U.S. president was extending a hand of diplomacy toward Iran and that it would be wise for Tehran to accept it.
She also said the United States is ready for formal negotiations, provided that Iran completely abandons uranium enrichment and agrees to direct talks.
Iran’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, rejected such conditions in remarks delivered later at the Security Council meeting on Iran, saying: “We welcome any fair and meaningful negotiations, but insisting on a zero-enrichment policy violates Iran’s rights as a member of the NPT.” He stressed that “Iran will not bow to any pressure or threats.”
