Speaking during a meeting with his French counterpart Jean-Noël Barrot in Paris on Wednesday, Abbas Araqchi urged the hostile parties to abandon overreaching and bullying approaches and be held accountable.
He has travelled to Paris at the invitation of the French foreign minister.
As prime examples of such approach, Araqchi cited the United States withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a historic nuclear agreement signed between Iran and world powers, in 2018. He also pointed to the Israeli regime’s and the US’s illegal and unprovoked war against the Islamic Republic, including the country’s safeguarded nuclear facilities, in June.
He referred to the duo as the “parties who first violated international law” with their unlawful actions vis-à-vis Tehran.
Araqchi reaffirmed Iran’s legal right to peaceful nuclear energy and underscored the Islamic Republic’s good faith and seriousness in engaging in reasonable and rational negotiations to provide assurances regarding the peaceful nature of its nuclear program.
Iran, however, he added, would not tolerate violations of its sovereignty or attacks on its safeguarded sites.
The foreign minister additionally criticized the European trio of the UK, France, and Germany for their actions targeting Iran at the United Nations Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s Board of Governors.
The official was referring to the troika’s attempts at activating Security Council sanctions against Iran and their pushing the board on several occasions to issue anti-Iranian resolutions, despite their own radical violations of their nuclear and economic commitments concerning the Islamic Republic.
Araqchi held the trio responsible for escalating tensions and called on the IAEA to adopt an independent, law-based approach versus Iran.
Such approach, he added, has to be grounded in the international law and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which acknowledges states’ right to development of peaceful nuclear energy.
Araqchi also condemned ongoing crimes and acts of aggressions by the Israeli regime against Palestinians, Lebanese, and other regional populations.
He stressed that the international community has a duty to uphold the rule of law, protect Palestinian rights, and ensure the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all states.
The talks, meanwhile, reviewed bilateral relations and emphasized the importance of continuing consultations to remove obstacles and facilitate mutual cooperation.
Both officials highlighted the need for responsible efforts to reduce tensions and strengthen international peace and justice.
On another matter, Araqchi welcomed a French court’s decision to grant conditional release to Iranian academic Mahdieh Esfandiari, who was detained by French officials in February over her pro-Palestinian activism.
He called for her expedited acquittal and return to Iran.