BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 15. Iran will fully exercise its right to self-defense in response to Israeli strikes, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on June 15 during a meeting with foreign diplomats in Tehran, Trend reports.
Araghchi stressed that Iran’s retaliatory actions will continue until attacks on the Islamic Republic cease. He underlined that Tehran has consistently followed a policy of reciprocal action, referencing five rounds of indirect nuclear talks with the United States. During the planned sixth round, Iran had intended to submit its own proposal package. However, the U.S. presented its offer first — a proposal Iran rejected as unacceptable, though it acknowledged it could have served as a starting point for future negotiations.
“The Israeli side has no interest in seeing an agreement between Iran and the U.S. on the nuclear issue. Israel’s attack on Iran, while indirect discussions are ongoing, makes that clear,” Araghchi stated.
His remarks follow Israeli airstrikes on Iranian territory in the early hours of June 13, which reportedly killed a number of senior Iranian military officials, including Chief of the General Staff Mohammad Bagheri, IRGC Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami, Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters Commander Gholamali Rashid, IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, along with nine nuclear scientists and other high-ranking personnel.
The five rounds of indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the United States were held on April 12, 19, 26, and May 11 and 23, facilitated by Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaid. The Iranian delegation was led by Araghchi, while the U.S. team was headed by Special Representative for Near East Affairs Steve Witkoff. The negotiations took place in Muscat (1st, 3rd, and 4th rounds) and Rome (2nd and 5th rounds).