TEHRAN, Nov. 3 — Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Sunday night called the claim that the Israeli and U.S. bombing of Iran was motivated by an imminent nuclear threat a “heinous lie.”
He made the remarks on X, saying that the claim was “thoroughly debunked” by the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi, and Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi.
Iran didn’t “kill diplomacy,” but “those who blew up the negotiating table did,” said Araghchi. Iran and the United States had held five rounds of indirect talks mediated by Oman on Tehran’s nuclear program and the removal of U.S. sanctions, and were about to hold the sixth one, before Israel launched major surprise airstrikes on June 13, targeting several areas in Iran, including nuclear and military sites. On June 22, U.S. forces bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities — Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan. (Xinhua)
