Araqchi rebuked the US gesture of diplomacy at the UN Security Council, saying openness to dialogue does not entail bombing the other side during negotiations.
Morgan Ortagus, the US deputy special envoy for West Asia, told the Security Council on Tuesday that Washington remains available for “meaningful” negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, but said the administration of US President Donald Trump will not allow enrichment on Iranian soil.
Araqchi described the remarks as "a new definition of diplomacy by the US."
Noting that Washington denies Tehran’s “internationally recognized rights” to uranium enrichment, Araqchi said, “This is dictation and not negotiation, let alone a meaningful one.”
"The world witnessed how we were negotiating when the US opted to open fire on our people and torpedoed diplomacy," Araqchi said, in reference to the Israeli-US aggression of June.
"We did what we always do: resist and confront those who assault us, and make sure they regret it.”
Supported by the United States, Israel conducted the aggression on June 13, a few days before the sixth round of indirect nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington.
More than a week later, the United States also entered the war by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites in a grave violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
On June 24, Iran, through its successful retaliatory operations against both the Israeli regime and the US, managed to impose a halt to the illegal assault.
“‘Extending the hand of diplomacy’ does not entail sending bombers and then crow about their failure as a success,” Araqchi said, urging Washington to “try real and honest diplomacy instead of attempting to deceive the world.”
Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations also reacted to the remarks. “How touching to hear lectures on ‘diplomacy’ from a party that openly acknowledges its leading role in enabling and coordinating the Israeli regime’s war against Iran,” the mission posted on X.
In November, Trump acknowledged the role of the United States in the Israeli aggression. “Israel attacked (Iran) first. That attack was very, very powerful. I was very much in charge of that.”
“Zero enrichment, ultimatums, and coercion wrapped in diplomatic vocabulary do not constitute negotiations; they merely confirm that the objective is capitulation, not agreement,” the Iranian mission said.
The position of the Islamic Republic, it said, “is anchored in the rule of law, not the rule of power.”