Tehran Dismisses U.S. Nuclear Diplomacy as “Deception” Amid Rising Tensions

 

The US, its European allies and Israel accuse Tehran of using its nuclear programme to conceal efforts to try to develop the capability to produce weapons.

Iran has sharply rejected Washington’s recent claims of seeking a diplomatic solution to the long-running nuclear dispute, branding the U.S. position as a “deception” and a “blatant contradiction.”

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei argued that America cannot “simultaneously bomb a country while engaging in diplomatic negotiations and speak of diplomacy.” His remarks came after U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff stated that Washington was in talks with Tehran and expressed a desire for a permanent resolution to the nuclear standoff.

The dispute has intensified following a 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel earlier this year, during which the U.S. joined strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. While Tehran insists its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful purposes, the U.S., its European allies, and Israel accuse Iran of concealing ambitions to develop nuclear weapons.

European powers have threatened to reimpose U.N. sanctions under the “snapback” mechanism but have offered to delay enforcement if Iran restores access for international inspectors and curbs uranium enrichment. Iranian officials, however, remain skeptical, with President Masoud Pezeshkian questioning the credibility of negotiations in which, he said, Western powers “trample on their own commitments.”

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reinforced this stance, declaring that talks with Washington would not serve Iran’s interests. The standoff underscores the widening gulf between Tehran and Western powers, with diplomacy hanging in the balance as sanctions loom.