Iran not sure it can trust US after Israel’s aggression

TABNAK, Jun. 21 - Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Iran is uncertain whether it can trust the United States in diplomatic talks after Israel launched an attack against the country ahead of indirect talks with American officials.

News ID: 6541

Date: 21 June 2025 - 15:26

In an interview with NBC News on Friday, Araghchi suggested that Washington was not genuinely interested in diplomacy and had merely used talks as a “cover” for the Israeli regime’s attack.

“So they had perhaps this plan in their mind, and they just needed negotiations perhaps to cover it up,” he said. “We don’t know how we can trust them anymore. What they did was, in fact, a betrayal to diplomacy.”

The Israeli regime attacked Iran, including residential buildings in Tehran, in an unprovoked act of aggression overnight on June 13. Top Iranian military officials were assassinated in targeted strikes. Civilians were also killed when houses were directly struck.

The strikes came two days before a sixth round of negotiations between U.S. and Iranian officials on Tehran’s civilian nuclear program had been scheduled to take place.

During the interview, which was conducted in Geneva after he held talks with European top diplomats, Araghchi said dismissed the idea of negotiations as long as Israel continued its aerial attacks on Iran.

“We’re not prepared to negotiate with them anymore, as long as the aggression continues,” he said.

The foreign minister also said Iran would not give up uranium enrichment as Trump has demanded, pointing out he had made that clear to U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.

“I told him several times zero enrichment is impossible,” he said, adding that every country has the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes.

“This is an achievement of our own scientists. It’s a question of national pride and dignity,” Araghchi maintained.

Regarding Witkoff, the chief Iranian diplomat said he appeared unable to deliver on what had been discussed in previous meetings.

“I think he is a gentleman, somebody you can work with, but unfortunately, he changed his words every time we met. So maybe that was because he couldn’t deliver what he promised to us,” he said.

“There is a lack of confidence now between us because he didn’t deliver his promises and what he told us that we can do,” he added.