TEHRAN, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said he is no longer in contact with U.S. Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, noting that their communication channel has been inactive for months.
Araghchi made the remarks in an interview with RT's "Worlds Apart" program during a visit to Moscow earlier this month, commenting on the state of communication between Tehran and Washington.
He said he had previously negotiated with Witkoff over Iran's nuclear program, noting that the two sides had held five rounds of talks between April and June. A sixth round, scheduled for June 15, was canceled after Israel launched a sudden airstrike on Iran.
Israel carried out large-scale surprise airstrikes on June 13 targeting several locations across Iran, including nuclear and military sites, killing senior commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. On June 22, U.S. forces bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities -- Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan.
"It was an unprovoked and illegal attack, and then the United States joined," Araghchi said. "So it was very strange that in the middle of negotiations they decided to attack us. That became a very bad experience for us."
Araghchi noted that following the 12-day conflict with Israel, he continued to exchange views with Witkoff. He said that while the U.S. side insisted on resuming negotiations, it had adopted what he described as a "very wrong" approach.
"We are ready for a fair and balanced negotiated deal, but we are not ready for a diktat," he said.
Responding to Washington's demand that Iran cease uranium enrichment on its own soil, Araghchi said that under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), member states have the right to the peaceful use of nuclear technology.
"When you deprive a country of this clear right, you are in fact weakening the entire NPT," he said. Enditem
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