USA: After attack, Iran closes "door to diplomacy"

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Iran has closed the door to diplomacy after being attacked by the US in the early hours of Sunday. The announcement was made by the country's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, at a press conference in Turkey, where he said he did not know why his country was attacked, as it was all based on a false accusation related to the production of nuclear weapons. Announcing that Iran's next step would be to meet with Vladimir Putin, Abbas Araghchi accused Donald Trump of being a "lawless bully " and the US of being a country controlled by Israel.

“Iran has all options open to defend its security, interests and people. I don’t know how much room there is for diplomacy” in this context, the head of Iran’s foreign affairs stated at the beginning of the press conference, going on to say: “Of course the door to diplomacy should always be open, but that is not the case at the moment . Nor do I believe that the extent of the damage caused matters. Attacking a nuclear facility is, in itself, an unforgivable violation of international law and must be condemned.”

For the Iranian minister, the attack that took place is the responsibility of the entire “international community”. “Iran has done nothing wrong, we do not understand why we have to be attacked with a false accusation that we want to produce nuclear weapons ”, he said, stressing that Iranian troops “are ready and the citizens have high levels of confidence”.

Iranian leader Abbas Araghchi called on the UN Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency to reason, arguing that they “have responsibilities to shoulder” and must “act urgently”. “Silence in the face of such aggression will plunge the world into an unprecedented level of danger and chaos.”

He then took the opportunity to criticize Donald Trump, saying that “humanity has come too far for a lawless bully to take us back to the law of the jungle.” The statement came hours after Donald Trump called Iran the “Bully of the Middle East” on the night of the attack.

“The world must not forget that it was the United States that, while we were working to achieve a diplomatic outcome, betrayed diplomacy by supporting the Israeli regime,” Abbas Araghchi continued. By opting for “military aggression,” the United States will have to bear “all the consequences of its actions , including Iran’s right to self-defense.”

And, still criticizing the North American leader, he said that “the direct intervention of the US [in this conflict] shows that the White House is under the direct influence of this individual called Benjamin Netanyahu , and it is a shame for all American citizens”.

Also at the press conference in Turkey, the Iranian leader announced that he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday: “I will go to Moscow this afternoon and I will have a meeting with President Putin tomorrow morning.”

Stating that “Russia is a friend of Iran” , the minister also explained that, during negotiations with the US, the Iranians always informed Vladimir Putin about the progress of the negotiations. “We have a strategic partnership with Russia”, he declared.

On Russia's side, given the developments of the early hours of last night, there are no plans for now to speak with US President Donald Trump, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the TASS news agency. He added that there is openness on the Russian side to a telephone conversation.