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US must rule out more strikes before new talks: Deputy FM
Majid Takht-Ravanchi said the Trump administration told Iran through mediators that it wanted to return to negotiations this week, but had not made its position clear on the "very important question" of further attacks while talks are taking place.
The US and Iran were involved in talks over Iran's nuclear program when Israel struck Iranian nuclear sites and military infrastructure earlier this month and Iran responded with missiles.
The US became directly involved in the conflict on June 21 when it bombed three of Iran's nuclear sites.
Takht-Ravanchi also said Iran would "insist" on being able to enrich uranium for what it says are peaceful purposes, rejecting accusations that it is secretly moving towards developing a nuclear bomb.
He said Iran had been "denied access to nuclear material" for its research program so they needed "to rely on ourselves".
"The level of that can be discussed, the capacity can be discussed, but to say that you should not have enrichment, you should have zero enrichment, and if do you not agree, we will bomb you - that is the law of the jungle," the deputy foreign minister said.
Israel began its attacks, targeting nuclear, military sites, residential areas as well as assassinating commanders and scientists, in Iran on June 13, claiming Tehran was close to building a nuclear weapon.
On 21 June, the US became involved in the conflict, dropping bombs on three of Iran's nuclear sites: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the strikes caused severe but "not total" damage, while US President Donald Trump declared that Iran's nuclear facilities were "totally obliterated".
Grossi also said Iran had the capacity to start enriching uranium again in "a matter of months".
Trump has said he would "absolutely" consider bombing Iran again if intelligence found that it could enrich uranium to concerning levels.
Takht-Ravanchi said no date had been agreed upon for a possible return to talks and he did not know what would be on the agenda, after Trump suggested discussions could take place this week.
Iran's deputy foreign minister said: "Right now we are seeking an answer to this question – are we going to see a repetition of an act of aggression while we are engaging in dialogue?"
He said the US had to be "quite clear on this very important question" and "what they are going to offer us in order to make the necessary confidence required for such a dialogue".
Takht-Ravanchi also accused some European leaders of a "ridiculous" endorsement of US and Israeli strikes.
He said those who are criticizing Iran over its nuclear program "should criticize the way that we have been treated" and criticize the US and Israel.
He added: "And if they do not have the guts to criticize America, they should keep silent, not try to justify the aggression."