Iranian foreign minister says Israel attack ‘betrayal’ of diplomacy with US

AFP | Geneva

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Iran’s foreign minister yesterday condemned the Israeli attacks against the Islamic republic as a “betrayal” of diplomatic efforts with the US, saying Tehran and Washington had been due to craft a “promising agreement” on the Iranian nuclear programme.

“We were attacked in the midst of an ongoing diplomatic process,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva ahead of a crunch meeting with European foreign ministers.

Araghchi, making his first trip abroad since the strikes began, denounced Israel’s attack as an “outrageous act of aggression”.

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had planned to meet Araghchi in Oman on June 15 but the meeting was cancelled after Israel began the strikes days before.

“We were supposed to meet with the Americans on 15 June to craft a very promising agreement for peaceful resolution of the issues fabricated over our peaceful nuclear programme,” said Araghchi.

“It was a betrayal of diplomacy and unprecedented blow to the foundations of international law,” he said.

Israel began its campaign yesterday saying the operation was aimed at halting Tehran from obtaining an atomic bomb, an ambition Iran denies having.

Araghchi described the attacks by Israel as an “unjust war imposed on my people” that had killed “hundreds”.

Pointing to the risk of radiation after strikes on atomic plants, he said: “Attacks on nuclear facilities are grave war crimes.”