Copy in clipboard...
Araghchi: Tehran working on draft agreement, ready for ‘fast deal’ on Thursday
“We are still working on it and are trying to set it up in a way that includes elements which can accommodate the concerns and interests of both sides,” the Iranian foreign minister said in an interview with CBS.
Araghchi expressed hope that both sides would be able to work on the elements, prepare a good text, and reach a “fast deal” when he said they “will likely meet again this Thursday in Geneva.”
Iran's foreign minister said that he thought there was still a "good chance" his country's standoff with the United States over its nuclear program could be resolved through diplomacy.
"I believe that still there is a good chance to have a diplomatic solution which is based on a win-win game," Araghchi told the US broadcaster.
As for Iran's uranium enrichment, which the US opposes, Araghchi said, "As a sovereign country, we have every right to decide for ourselves, by ourselves."
Iran's foreign minister warned that his country would be forced to strike back at US interests in West Asia in response to any renewed aggression.
"If the US attacks us, then we have every right to defend ourselves. If the US attacks us, that is the act of aggression. What we do in response is an act of self-defense," Araghchi said.
"It is justified, legitimate. So, our missiles cannot hit the American soil. So obviously we have to do something else. We have to hit, you know, the American base in the region."
His remarks came after Iranian and American officials held two rounds of Oman-mediated talks on February 6 and 17, following weeks of escalating tensions.
The ongoing talks are aimed at resolving a decades-long dispute over Iran’s nuclear program.
The US, which has deployed aircraft carriers and warships to the region, has threatened Iran with military action if no deal is made.
Iran has declared its conditions and vowed not bow to excessive demands including the US push for zero uranium enrichment. Iran has also said that it will hit back forcefully to any aggression.