Tehran - BORNA - Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei opened Tuesday’s press conference by condemning the assassination of Yemen’s prime minister and several cabinet members by the Israeli regime. He described the attack as a terrorist act and a blatant violation of international law and humanitarian principles, expressing solidarity with the people of Yemen.
Baghaei criticized the international community’s inaction over Gaza, stating that the UN and global institutions, under U.S. protection of Israeli crimes, have failed to take meaningful steps to stop atrocities and deliver justice.
On Iran’s diplomatic track, Baghaei confirmed that President Pezeshkian’s visit to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit would continue until Wednesday.
Turning to the European move on the snapback mechanism, he called the U.S. Secretary of State’s statement welcoming the measure “scandalous,” noting that it explicitly confirmed the action was carried out on direct instructions from the U.S. president. “Reports in recent days show this move was carried out at the request of Washington and Tel Aviv,” he said.
The spokesperson rejected European claims that Iran failed to uphold its JCPOA obligations while Europe did, describing them as “hypocritical and ill-intentioned.” Responding to U.S. conditions for talks with Iran, Baghaei stressed: “Such preconditions only demonstrate bad faith. We have faced U.S. and Israeli attacks in the midst of diplomacy; past experience proves Washington never acted in good faith.” He recalled America’s withdrawal from the JCPOA and coordinated Israeli attacks on Iran during negotiations, underscoring U.S. intent to undermine diplomacy from the outset.
Baghaei also condemned Israeli plans to forcibly displace Gaza’s population: “What is unfolding in Gaza is a continuation of genocide—rendering 90 percent of the Strip uninhabitable and imposing famine to expel its people. Any actor complicit in this conspiracy of collective eradication will be deemed an accomplice to war crimes.”
On Iran’s relations with the IAEA, Baghaei said no decision had been made yet regarding further rounds of talks. “The European move will have consequences across different areas. Two rounds of negotiations have been held with no final outcome. Two IAEA inspectors recently entered Iran only to load fuel at the Bushehr nuclear reactor, a routine procedure under regulations. Currently, no inspectors are present in Iran. Contacts continue at the representative level, but a framework for future engagement has not been finalized following the latest developments and attacks on our nuclear facilities.”
This report will be updated.