Iran Responds to EU’s Call for Talks After US Strikes: ‘We Never Left the Deal’

Iran Responds to EU’s Call for Talks After US Strikes: The U.S. strike on Iran fueled fears that Israel's war with Tehran could escalate to a wider regional conflict, and other countries began reacting Sunday with calls for diplomacy and words of caution.

President Donald Trump had said Thursday that he would decide within two weeks whether to get involved. In the end, it took just days, and Washington inserted itself into Israel's campaign with its early Sunday attack.

Araghchi said Israel had “blown up negotiations” between Tehran and Washington with its June 13 strikes, while the United States had “done the same” to talks with European powers through its latest attacks.

In response to fresh European calls for Iran to return to the negotiating table, he asked, “How can Iran return to something it never left?”

“Last week, we were in negotiations with the US when Israel decided to blow up that diplomacy. This week, we held talks with the E3/EU when the US decided to blow up that diplomacy. What conclusion would you draw?” Araghchi asked in a post on X.

“To Britain and the EU High Rep, it is Iran which must “return” to the table. But how can Iran return to something it never left, let alone blew up?” he added

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He also said that Iran’s response would depend on the scale of US aggression, warning that Washington’s actions had pushed the region toward instability. “We will respond in accordance with our rights and national security priorities,” Araghchi said, without providing further details.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for Iran to return to the negotiating table to diplomatically end the crisis, saying stability was the priority in the volatile region.

The U.K., along with the European Union, France, and Germany, tried unsuccessfully to broker a diplomatic solution in Geneva last week with Iran.

Starmer said Iran’s nuclear program posed a grave threat to global security.

“Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the U.S. has taken action to alleviate that threat,” Starmer said.

The Iraqi government condemned the U.S. strikes on Iran, saying the military escalation created a grave threat to peace and security in the Middle East. It said it poses serious risks to regional stability and called for diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis.

"The continuation of such attacks risks dangerous escalation with consequences that extend beyond the borders of any single state, threatening the security of the entire region and the world," government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said in the statement.

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Iraq has close relations with both Washington and Tehran, which it has attempted to balance over the years. The country also has a network of powerful Iranian-backed militias, which so far have not entered the fray since the outbreak of the Israel-Iran war.

Dmitry Medvedev, who serves as deputy head of President Vladimir Putin’s Security Council, said several countries were prepared to supply Tehran with nuclear weapons.

He didn’t specify which countries, but said the U.S. attack caused minimal damage and would not stop Tehran from pursuing nuclear weapons.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it “strongly condemned” the airstrikes and called them a “a gross violation of international law, the U.N. Charter, and U.N. Security Council resolutions.”

The United States struck three sites in Iran early Sunday, inserting itself directly into Israel’s war on Tehran’s nuclear programme in a high-stakes move aimed at weakening a long-standing adversary. The attack sparked fears of a broader regional conflict, with Iran accusing Washington of launching "a dangerous war.”

US President Donald Trump claimed in a national address from the White House that Iran’s key nuclear facilities were “completely and fully obliterated.”

Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization confirmed that the strikes targeted its Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz sites, but insisted that its nuclear programme would continue.

Both Iranian authorities and the UN nuclear watchdog said there were no immediate signs of radioactive contamination at the affected locations.

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