“Iran’s nuclear energy program has always been—and will always remain—entirely peaceful”, wrote Araqchi on Sunday on his X account, formerly known as Twitter, emphasizing, “There is fundamentally, therefore, no such thing as its ‘potential militarization’”.
“We will NOT negotiate under pressure and intimidation. We will NOT even consider it, no matter what the subject may be. Negotiation is different from bullying and issuing diktats,” Araqchi said.
Araqchi also said Iran was consulting with the E3 – and separately with Russia and China – on equal footing and mutual respect in a bid to explore ways “to build more confidence and transparency” on Tehran’s nuclear energy program in return for the lifting of unlawful sanctions.
In the past, the U.S. enjoyed respect from Iran whenever it was respectful in its discourse, the official said. “It was confronted whenever it adopted a threatening posture. Every action compels a reaction.”