TEHRAN: Iran is ready to resume “fair ” negotiations over its disputed nuclear programme if the West shows goodwill, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, said on Thursday.
“Araqchi reaffirmed Iran’s readiness to resume fair and balanced diplomatic negotiations, on the condition that the other parties show seriousness and goodwill and avoid actions that harm the chances of success,” he said in a letter sent to European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
However, Britain, France and Germany, also known is E3, have launched a 30-day process to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear programme, a step likely to stoke tensions two months after Israel and the United States bombed Iran.
The renewed sanctions threat has stirred frustration inside Iran, where leaders are divided between hardliners advocating confrontation and moderates urging diplomacy.
Iran has enriched uranium to 60% fissile purity, close to the 90% weapons grade, and held enough stock for several bombs before Israel’s June 13 strikes, according to the IAEA. While manufacturing a weapon would take more time, the agency says it cannot guarantee Iran’s programme is entirely peaceful.
12-day war
The 12 day war that began with unprovoked Israeli military strikes in Iran on June 13 resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries on both sides, according to official figures released by the respective governments.
Israel launched the first strikes, targeting Iranian nuclear and military facilities with more than 200 fighter jets.
According to Iran’s Ministry of Health and Medical Education, at least 610 people were killed and 4,746 injured, including 185 women and 13 children. Public infrastructure also sustained extensive damage, including hospitals, ambulances, and emergency units.
Among those killed were senior nuclear scientists and high-ranking military commanders, including the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces and the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The youngest confirmed fatality was a two-month-old infant.
In response, Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones at Israeli targets, with Tel Aviv and Haifa among the hardest hit.
The Israeli military stated that up to 1,000 projectiles were launched, of which 90 percent were intercepted. The attacks resulted in 28 deaths and 3,238 injuries across Israel.
According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) project, Israel carried out at least 508 airstrikes on Iran during the escalation.
Another count from Al Jazeera’s Sanad fact-checking agency – italicise placed the number at 145 combined Israeli and US strikes.
Iranian retaliation included at least 120 missile and drone attacks, with some reaching Israeli civilian and critical infrastructure.
Notable targets included Soroka Medical Center, the Israeli Military Intelligence School, the Ministry of Interior in Haifa, and several energy facilities.
The US joined the conflict on June 22 with bunker-buster bombings on Iran’s nuclear facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan.
A US brokered ceasefire was reached on June 24, shortly after Iran launched missiles at the largest US airbase in the Middle East, located in Qatar.
Iranian authorities reported a mass internal displacement, with nearly nine million people leaving major cities such as Tehran and heading toward northern provinces bordering the Caspian Sea.
The ceasefire remains in place, though both nations have warned of further action if provoked.
