Iran says West renewing nuclear talks push after "failed" military strikes

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi speaks during a press conference after his meeting with foreign diplomats in Tehran, Iran, Oct. 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Shadati)

TEHRAN, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that Western governments have renewed calls to resume talks on Tehran's nuclear program after "failing" to achieve their objectives through recent military action, Iran's state news agency IRNA reported.

Araghchi said the appeals for dialogue were "natural" after Western powers "did not achieve what they were after regarding Iran's nuclear program through military attacks," adding that there is no military solution to the dispute.

He said Iran would not accept negotiations conducted through pressure, saying talks must be based on "reasonable and logical" principles rather than "dictating and bullying."

Araghchi said the United States and Israel had failed to meet any of their goals through the latest conflict, adding that while airstrikes could damage nuclear facilities, they could not destroy Iran's technological capabilities or the resolve of its people. "Our facilities were destroyed, but our technology remains, and our will is even stronger," he said.

He said Iran has always been ready for serious negotiations under the right conditions, and reiterated that diplomacy remains "the ultimate solution" for resolving disputes in the region.

Iran and the United States had held five rounds of indirect, Oman-mediated talks on the nuclear issue and U.S. sanctions relief, and were preparing for a sixth round when Israel launched major airstrikes on June 13 on nuclear and military sites in Iran, killing senior commanders, nuclear scientists, and civilians. On June 22, U.S. forces struck the Iranian nuclear facilities at Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan.