Iran has interest in negotiations but no trust in US: Araghchi

Iran remains open to serious negotiations but has no trust in the United States, which is the main obstacle in the way of any diplomatic effort, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Friday.

Tensions in the Middle East have escalated since the United States and Israel launched joint military strikes against Iran on Feb 28, triggering retaliation from Tehran against Israel as well as U.S. bases and assets in the Middle East, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire took effect on April 8 after 40 days of fighting through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. The truce was later extended by U.S. President Donald Trump without a set deadline.

The mediation process by Pakistan has not failed but is in "difficulty," Araghchi said at a press conference on the conclusion of the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting in the Indian capital New Delhi.

Tehran is trying to keep the current fragile ceasefire to give diplomacy a chance, he added.

He stressed that there is no military solution to issues involving Iran, and that Tehran will never surrender to pressure or threats.

Noting the lack of trust is impeding negotiations, Araqchi said that "contradictory messages" from the U.S. side have made Tehran reluctant about the real intention of the Americans on negotiations.

Araqchi said Iran appreciates the efforts of any country that have the ability to help, particularly China, which brokered an agreement to restore diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia in 2023.

Iran has very good relations with China, the two countries are strategic partners, and Tehran knows that the Chinese have good intentions, so anything they can do to help diplomacy would be welcomed, Araqchi said.

On the nuclear issue, Araqchi reiterated that Iran has never sought to develop nuclear weapons, and its nuclear program is peaceful.

As for the Strait of Hormuz, Araghchi said the strait is open and all vessels can pass except the vessels of those countries that are at war with Iran, if they coordinate with the Iranian Navy.

Araghchi blamed the U.S. for an "illegal blockade" and for its aggression that has created insecurity in the region, pledging efforts to ensure that there will be a good administration in the Strait of Hormuz after the war ends, which guarantees the safe passage of all vessels.

Iran has interest in negotiations but no trust in US: Araghchi

China called on nuclear-armed states to withdraw their nuclear weapons deployed abroad back home and not to deploy any more of them on foreign territories, said a Chinese representative at a UN conference on Friday. The 11th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City from April 27 to May 22.

On nuclear sharing arrangements, China believes that this issue not only involves nuclear disarmament but should also be examined from the perspective of preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons, said the Chinese representative.

China is seriously concerned about existing nuclear-sharing and extended deterrence arrangements, and calls on nuclear-armed states to withdraw any nuclear weapons deployed overseas to their own territory and to refrain from making any new deployments on foreign soil, he said.

At the conference, China also noted that the severe imbalance between the supply and demand for sensitive nuclear materials in some countries deserves high attention. The International Atomic Energy Agency should strengthen research and oversight to prevent violations of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

"Especially as certain senior government officials in related countries have made pro-nuclear remarks, it is all the more necessary for the International Atomic Energy Agency to attach greater importance to imbalances in the supply and demand of nuclear materials and to enhance the research. This should include making timely and flexible adjustments to the oversight arrangements on related states, and setting up early-warning risk mechanisms, to prevent incompliances with the Treaty," said the Chinese representative.

China calls for withdrawal of overseas nuclear weapons