Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said that the United States must guarantee no additional military strikes before Tehran will resume nuclear negotiations, as markets rally on ceasefire prospects between Israel and Iran.
What Happened: Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC that the Trump administration has communicated through mediators its desire to return to diplomatic talks but has “not made their position clear” on preventing further attacks during negotiations.
The stance comes after U.S. B-2 stealth bombers from Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC) struck three Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan last weekend.
“Right now we are seeking an answer to this question: Are we going to see a repetition of an act of aggression while we are engaging in dialogue?” Takht-Ravanchi said in an interview from Tehran.
The strikes followed a 12-day Israel-Iran conflict that began June 13 when Israel targeted Iranian nuclear and military sites, claiming Tehran was close to building nuclear weapons. Iran responded with missile attacks before the U.S. intervened directly.
Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe confirmed the strikes “severely damaged” Iran’s nuclear program, citing “credible evidence” that key facilities were destroyed. However, Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Iran could restart uranium enrichment within “a matter of months.”
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Why It Matters: Markets responded positively to ceasefire prospects. Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives called the Iran-Israel ceasefire “the most bullish outcome” for Wall Street, predicting 2-3% gains.
Iran’s parliament moved on Wednesday to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, accusing the atomic watchdog of siding with Israel and the U.S. Iranian Ambassador to the UN Amir-Saeid Iravani separately told CBS that uranium enrichment will “never stop,” citing it as an “inalienable right” under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Trump announced nuclear talks with Iran for next week but provided no venue details. He dismissed intelligence assessments suggesting the strikes only delayed Iran’s program by months, calling the damage “obliteration.”
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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