Iran says any agreement with US must fully safeguard national rights, interests

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson says the Islamic Republic’s diplomatic apparatus is duty-bound to safeguard the rights and interests of the Iranian nation and will only accept an agreement that fully secures those priorities.

Speaking at his weekly press conference on Monday, Esmaeil Baghaei stressed that any potential agreement must be balanced and based on mutual respect, ruling out arrangements that fail to address Iran’s core demands.

“Our duty as the diplomatic apparatus of the Islamic Republic of Iran is to ensure the rights and interests of the Iranian nation. As a rule, we can only accept an understanding or agreement that contains the characteristics of ensuring Iran’s rights and national interests; both on the nuclear issue and on the issue of lifting sanctions,” he said.

In response to a question regarding comments by US regional envoy Steve Witkoff, who had implied that Iran should accept a US-proposed agreement, Baghaei said this is not “the first time we have encountered contradictory claims.”

Witkoff told Fox News on Saturday that Trump was “curious” about Iran’s position after he had warned of a limited military strike if a deal was not reached.

The Iranian diplomat noted that “any negotiation that begins with imposed burdens and preconceived judgments will naturally not reach a conclusion.”

“The word ‘surrender’ has no place in Iranian culture and literature, and we have never accepted such a keyword,” he said, stressing that the Iranian nation has consistently demonstrated that it does not yield to pressure.

He emphasized that over the past 47 years, the Iranian people’s demand has been for dignity, independence, and respect for the country’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty.

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The remarks come as Iran and the US held a second round of indirect nuclear negotiations at the Omani consulate general in the Swiss city of Geneva on February 17.

As in the previous round in the Omani capital of Muscat, the agenda of the talks focused primarily on the nuclear issue and the lifting of illegal US sanctions.

The US maintains that Iran must cease its nuclear program, whereas Tehran asserts that it is not pursuing nuclear weapons and says it is entitled to peaceful nuclear energy.

Washington began its war rhetoric against Iran after recent economic protests in the country, which were hijacked by foreign spy agencies and turned violent.

Since then, the US president has kept threatening military action against Iran, deploying two carrier groups and dozens of fighter jets, bombers, and refueling aircraft to regional waters near Iran.

Responding to a question about whether Tehran would leave the negotiating table in the event of a limited US attack on Iran, Baghaei said: “In my view, these two issues are fundamentally unrelated. There are no limits on what constitutes an ‘aggressive act’; any attack, regardless of its scale, constitutes aggression and will naturally carry its consequences.”

Responding to a question about Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi’s recent remarks that no agreement could be reached if Iran does not permit the agency to inspect damaged sites, Baghaei said, “I can confirm that all commitments regarding inspections of our peaceful nuclear facilities through 2025 have been fulfilled, and we have cooperated fully with the agency.”

On a separate matter, Baghaei addressed Iran’s stance toward armed forces from European Union member states operating in the Persian Gulf region.

“Our action was taken in response to that unlawful move. Beyond its political and legal implications, henceforth the presence of law enforcement forces from EU member states in the Gulf region will be viewed differently, as they will be considered terrorist forces, carrying its own consequences and implications,” he noted.

The European Union added the IRGC to its terrorist list in response to Iran’s measures against foreign-backed rioters who violently wreaked havoc across the country on the invitation of a monarchist and the public incitement of US and Israeli leaders in late December and early January.

In a statement on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the “reciprocal” move comes following the EU member states’ “unlawful and unjustified” decision to label a part of the Islamic Republic’s Armed Forces.

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