Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi emphasized in an interview with a French media outlet that the main obstacle to nuclear negotiations is “America’s behavior.”
Publish dateThursday 27 November 2025 - 14:48
Story Code : 338327
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi discussed various regional and international issues in an interview with France 24 today.
In response to a reporter’s question about the prisoner exchange, he said: “Exchanging prisoners based on national interests is a completely normal thing in international relations; it is nothing strange or new. This exchange was negotiated between us and France, an agreement was reached, and now we are waiting for the judicial and legal process in both countries to be completed. I hope and think that this will be completed and the exchange will be carried out within the next one or two months, depending on the speed of the judicial processes.”
Araghchi added that the necessary institutions in Iran have made decisions on this matter and that everything is ready, and Iran “is waiting for the judicial process in France to be completed... Everything depends on the decision of the French court.”
Regarding the Iranian nuclear talks, he said that the process of talks has been stopped. Araghchi stated: “There are currently no negotiations, but there are channels of dialogue. Messages are being exchanged between Mr. Witkoff and me and through various intermediaries. But we currently have no decision to negotiate. Why? Because a serious and fair process for real negotiations has not yet been formed on the part of the United States.”
Araghchi noted: “We have always been ready to negotiate; we negotiated in 2015 and reached the JCPOA. We were also negotiating in 2025 when the United States and Israel attacked us. We are still ready to negotiate, but real and serious negotiations. Negotiation means dialogue, not dictation.”
The senior Iranian diplomat added: “When the US government announces that it no longer intends to dictate and is ready to negotiate seriously to reach a win-win agreement that both sides are satisfied with, then we will negotiate... We have never said ‘no’ to negotiations, but we do not currently have such an impression from the American side.”
Araghchi added that he had not had any contact with Whitaker and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in recent weeks and that Iran is waiting for “the Americans to prepare for real negotiations, not just for irrational and repeated requests.”
Regarding Iran’s letter to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he explained: “Our president’s letter to Prince Mohammed bin Salman had nothing to do with the nuclear issue. The subject of the letter was to thank Saudi Arabia for its extraordinary hosting of Iranian pilgrims during last year’s Hajj and to coordinate future Hajjs.”
Araghchi stated that Iran and Saudi Arabia have had improving relations for years and mutual trust is increasing every day. The Foreign Minister said: “There is a very good understanding between us and the Saudis for regional peace and stability. We know that cooperation between all countries in the region, especially Iran and Saudi Arabia as the two major powers in the region, is essential for peace and stability. Our problem on the nuclear issue is not the lack of a mediator; the problem is the behavior of the United States.”
The Iranian Foreign Minister emphasized: “Until this behavior changes, negotiations are not possible and this has nothing to do with mediators. Many friendly countries in the region have tried to play the role of mediators and we thank them all, but the problem lies elsewhere.”
In response to a reporter’s question about the reason for Iran’s lack of cooperation with the Agency, he said: “The Board of Governors is a political institution, while the Agency is a technical institution. The recent resolution was completely political and unilateral. This resolution did not change anything in the previous text and was drafted as if no war had occurred and none of our civilian facilities had been attacked.”
The senior Iranian diplomat added: “When you ignore the realities on the ground, it is wrong. We have already shown our good faith. We reached an agreement with the mediation of our Egyptian friends and Mr. Grossi, and the framework for cooperation was determined. The Agency and Grossi themselves also agree that the ground reality is different from before and cooperation should be within the framework of this new reality.”
Araghchi stated: “I asked Mr. Grossi do you have a specific protocol for visiting civilian nuclear facilities that have been attacked? They said no because such a case has never happened before. So we agreed to define new methods, and this was the “DCER” agreement.”
The Iranian Foreign Minister emphasized: “Today, approaching our facilities is dangerous. There is a risk of another American attack, there are unexploded munitions on the ground, there is a risk of radioactive and chemical leakage. Believe me, approaching these bombed facilities is not easy. There must be a new framework and method, and the Agency’s experts also agree with this reality. But this issue was not considered in the recent resolution.”
In response to a reporter’s question about the possibility of the Zionist regime attacking Iran again, Araqchi said: “The Israeli regime has attacked us several times in the last two years. There is a desire for a new war in them. In my opinion, the existence of this regime is tied to its desire to attack. But if they attack Iran again, will they achieve even the smallest victory? When you have done something before and failed, logic says don’t do it again.”
The senior Iranian diplomat added: “The last time our air defense system did not work well, but the Israeli system did not work well either. Our missiles, especially in the last days of the war, reached their targets. Much more powerful and accurate than they thought. The Americans and Israelis, who were talking about unconditional surrender on the first day, asked for an unconditional ceasefire on the second day. The 12-Day War was an experience that showed that Iran emerged victorious, both in defense and in attack on many targets.
In response to a question about Lebanon and Israel's attacks on it, Araqchi said: "We have never interfered in Lebanon's internal affairs. The Lebanese army and Hezbollah make their own decisions. All Lebanese officials, the president and the prime minister, condemned the attack and said they would use all means to defend Lebanese citizens. To say that Iran has weakened in Lebanon does not match reality. This was the wrong perception that caused Israel to attack us. They thought we had weakened, but they saw a strong Iran."
He also stated about the internal conditions in Syria: "We do not want to interfere in Syria's internal affairs. Syria has many problems today and has jeopardized the stability of the region. We want a united Syria with a central and stable government. Otherwise, the entire region will be in danger."
Regarding the occupation of Syria by the Zionist regime, the Iranian Foreign Minister said: "What we see is not the end of the occupation of Syria by Israel. "Unfortunately, after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Israel has practically occupied parts of Syria that are much larger than the Gaza Strip. Today, Israel occupies Gaza, Palestine, and parts of Syria. The real danger is Israel, which has endangered the region with its actions. We are only observers and we demand the unity and territorial integrity of Syria. We hope that Syria will once again become a center of stability, not crisis."
In response to a reporter’s question about the prisoner exchange, he said: “Exchanging prisoners based on national interests is a completely normal thing in international relations; it is nothing strange or new. This exchange was negotiated between us and France, an agreement was reached, and now we are waiting for the judicial and legal process in both countries to be completed. I hope and think that this will be completed and the exchange will be carried out within the next one or two months, depending on the speed of the judicial processes.”
Araghchi added that the necessary institutions in Iran have made decisions on this matter and that everything is ready, and Iran “is waiting for the judicial process in France to be completed... Everything depends on the decision of the French court.”
Regarding the Iranian nuclear talks, he said that the process of talks has been stopped. Araghchi stated: “There are currently no negotiations, but there are channels of dialogue. Messages are being exchanged between Mr. Witkoff and me and through various intermediaries. But we currently have no decision to negotiate. Why? Because a serious and fair process for real negotiations has not yet been formed on the part of the United States.”
Araghchi noted: “We have always been ready to negotiate; we negotiated in 2015 and reached the JCPOA. We were also negotiating in 2025 when the United States and Israel attacked us. We are still ready to negotiate, but real and serious negotiations. Negotiation means dialogue, not dictation.”
The senior Iranian diplomat added: “When the US government announces that it no longer intends to dictate and is ready to negotiate seriously to reach a win-win agreement that both sides are satisfied with, then we will negotiate... We have never said ‘no’ to negotiations, but we do not currently have such an impression from the American side.”
Araghchi added that he had not had any contact with Whitaker and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in recent weeks and that Iran is waiting for “the Americans to prepare for real negotiations, not just for irrational and repeated requests.”
Regarding Iran’s letter to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he explained: “Our president’s letter to Prince Mohammed bin Salman had nothing to do with the nuclear issue. The subject of the letter was to thank Saudi Arabia for its extraordinary hosting of Iranian pilgrims during last year’s Hajj and to coordinate future Hajjs.”
Araghchi stated that Iran and Saudi Arabia have had improving relations for years and mutual trust is increasing every day. The Foreign Minister said: “There is a very good understanding between us and the Saudis for regional peace and stability. We know that cooperation between all countries in the region, especially Iran and Saudi Arabia as the two major powers in the region, is essential for peace and stability. Our problem on the nuclear issue is not the lack of a mediator; the problem is the behavior of the United States.”
The Iranian Foreign Minister emphasized: “Until this behavior changes, negotiations are not possible and this has nothing to do with mediators. Many friendly countries in the region have tried to play the role of mediators and we thank them all, but the problem lies elsewhere.”
In response to a reporter’s question about the reason for Iran’s lack of cooperation with the Agency, he said: “The Board of Governors is a political institution, while the Agency is a technical institution. The recent resolution was completely political and unilateral. This resolution did not change anything in the previous text and was drafted as if no war had occurred and none of our civilian facilities had been attacked.”
The senior Iranian diplomat added: “When you ignore the realities on the ground, it is wrong. We have already shown our good faith. We reached an agreement with the mediation of our Egyptian friends and Mr. Grossi, and the framework for cooperation was determined. The Agency and Grossi themselves also agree that the ground reality is different from before and cooperation should be within the framework of this new reality.”
Araghchi stated: “I asked Mr. Grossi do you have a specific protocol for visiting civilian nuclear facilities that have been attacked? They said no because such a case has never happened before. So we agreed to define new methods, and this was the “DCER” agreement.”
The Iranian Foreign Minister emphasized: “Today, approaching our facilities is dangerous. There is a risk of another American attack, there are unexploded munitions on the ground, there is a risk of radioactive and chemical leakage. Believe me, approaching these bombed facilities is not easy. There must be a new framework and method, and the Agency’s experts also agree with this reality. But this issue was not considered in the recent resolution.”
In response to a reporter’s question about the possibility of the Zionist regime attacking Iran again, Araqchi said: “The Israeli regime has attacked us several times in the last two years. There is a desire for a new war in them. In my opinion, the existence of this regime is tied to its desire to attack. But if they attack Iran again, will they achieve even the smallest victory? When you have done something before and failed, logic says don’t do it again.”
The senior Iranian diplomat added: “The last time our air defense system did not work well, but the Israeli system did not work well either. Our missiles, especially in the last days of the war, reached their targets. Much more powerful and accurate than they thought. The Americans and Israelis, who were talking about unconditional surrender on the first day, asked for an unconditional ceasefire on the second day. The 12-Day War was an experience that showed that Iran emerged victorious, both in defense and in attack on many targets.
In response to a question about Lebanon and Israel's attacks on it, Araqchi said: "We have never interfered in Lebanon's internal affairs. The Lebanese army and Hezbollah make their own decisions. All Lebanese officials, the president and the prime minister, condemned the attack and said they would use all means to defend Lebanese citizens. To say that Iran has weakened in Lebanon does not match reality. This was the wrong perception that caused Israel to attack us. They thought we had weakened, but they saw a strong Iran."
He also stated about the internal conditions in Syria: "We do not want to interfere in Syria's internal affairs. Syria has many problems today and has jeopardized the stability of the region. We want a united Syria with a central and stable government. Otherwise, the entire region will be in danger."
Regarding the occupation of Syria by the Zionist regime, the Iranian Foreign Minister said: "What we see is not the end of the occupation of Syria by Israel. "Unfortunately, after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Israel has practically occupied parts of Syria that are much larger than the Gaza Strip. Today, Israel occupies Gaza, Palestine, and parts of Syria. The real danger is Israel, which has endangered the region with its actions. We are only observers and we demand the unity and territorial integrity of Syria. We hope that Syria will once again become a center of stability, not crisis."
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