Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Saturday that Tehran would not attend nuclear talks with the United States so long as Israel keeps up its attacks on Iran.
In a call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Pezeshkian said Iran would not accept irrational demands and double standards under pressure or sit at the negotiating table while Israel continues its attacks.
Macron said in a statement that he noted the Iranian nuclear question must be resolved through negotiation in the phone conversation.
The French president had invited President Pezeshkian to return swiftly to the negotiating table and urged the utmost restraint to avoid escalation, according to the statement.
Early Friday, Israel launched a "preemptive strike" targeting Iran's nuclear facilities, senior military leaders, and research scientists, a significant escalation against Tehran.
Later that day, Iran announced its withdrawal from nuclear talks with the United States, canceling a sixth round of negotiations which was scheduled to take place on Sunday in Muscat, Oman.
Iranian president says no nuclear talks if Israeli attacks continue
Iranian president says no nuclear talks if Israeli attacks continue
Thousands of demonstrators rallied in Italy and Greece on Saturday to protest against U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, with protesters in Rome, Milan and Athens condemning Washington's actions and calling for respect for Venezuelan sovereignty.
In Rome, more than 1,000 demonstrators marched toward the area near the U.S. Embassy, calling on Washington to immediately release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
Police blocked roads around the embassy to prevent protesters from approaching the building, but demonstrators continued to denounce U.S. actions.
"First of all, we oppose U.S. imperialist aggression. This kind of behavior is shameful. The U.S. is attacking a sovereign country, and as [U.S. President Donald] Trump himself has said, this is for oil interests," said protester Giovanni Barbera.
Saturday's rally marked the second large-scale protest in Rome this month against U.S. military operations in Venezuela, following an earlier one on on Jan 3.
Participants included members of multiple political parties, labor unions and social organizations. The protesters held banners reading "Stop imperialist interference" and "Free Maduro," urging the international community to respect Venezuela's sovereignty and the will of its people, and condemning the U.S. for violating international law.
"We are protesting the way the U.S. handles international politics. Since the events of January 3, we have seen violations of international law, and we are very concerned about how the global situation is developing," said protester Stefano De Angelis.
Organizers said solidarity rallies in support of Venezuela were held in 30 Italian cities on the same day.
Meanwhile, similar protests were also staged in Greece. About 200 people gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Athens, voicing support for Venezuela and opposition to U.S. military actions.
"We oppose U.S. imperialism and its attack on Venezuela. At the same time, the U.S. is also threatening Cuba, Mexico and Greenland. We must stand up against this behavior," said Greek protester Argiro Sirmakezi.
Protesters rally in Italy, Greece against U.S. military operation in Venezuela
