Iran ruled out talks with the United States next week, with Foreign Minister Araghchi citing significant damage from recent strikes on nuclear sites and saying Tehran is reassessing its diplomatic strategy.
Iran has no plans to meet with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday in a state TV interview, directly contradicting President Donald Trump’s claim that talks were scheduled for next week.
Araghchi said Tehran is still evaluating whether renewed negotiations with Washington would serve its interests, especially after five previous rounds were cut short when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
While the US and Israel maintain the attacks were intended to limit Iran’s nuclear weapons potential, Tehran insists its program is strictly for civilian purposes.
Araghchi acknowledged the strikes caused significant damage, saying authorities are reassessing the current state of the nuclear program to determine Iran’s future diplomatic approach.
President Trump had said during a Wednesday NATO summit in The Hague that the US and Iran would meet “next week,” describing the recent Pentagon strikes on Iranian nuclear sites as a success. However, the White House walked back that claim on Thursday.
“We don’t have anything scheduled as of now,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters, saying she had spoken with the Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff earlier that morning. She added that the administration remains in “close communication” with the Iranians and intermediaries like the Qataris. “We are in touch, and if there is a meeting, we will let you know, as we always do.”
Witkoff had said earlier in the week that his conversations with Iranian counterparts had been “promising,” and expressed hope for a long-term peace agreement that could “resurrect Iran.”
The Pentagon held a news conference Thursday morning defending the success of US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, while administration officials prepared to brief lawmakers on Capitol Hill later in the day.
Since the strikes, the US has been actively seeking a direct meeting with Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on CBS’s Face the Nation Sunday that “we have bent over backwards to create a deal with these people.”
