Iran still needs more time to decide on resuming talks with US: FM

TEHRAN - Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said the country still needs more time to decide about the resumption of negotiations with the United States.

Araghchi made the remarks in an interview with CBS News in Tehran, which was published on Monday, while commenting on the possibility of restarting the nuclear talks between Iran and the United States.

On a claim by US President Donald Trump that the negotiations could start as early as this week, Araghchi said he did not think the process would restart as quickly as what Trump had claimed, adding, "In order for us to decide to re-engage, we will have to first ensure that the United States will not revert back to targeting us in a military attack during the negotiations."

"And I think with all these considerations, we still need more time," he said, noting that, however, "The doors of diplomacy will never slam shut."

On June 22, US forces bombed the three Iranian nuclear facilities of Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan. In retaliation, Iran struck the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

The attack took place amid a conflict between Iran and Israel, which started on June 13 with the latter's surprise airstrikes on several Iranian cities. A ceasefire was declared between the two sides on June 24.

The Israeli attacks were launched a few days before the sixth round of indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States on Tehran's nuclear program and the removal of US sanctions, scheduled to be held in Oman's capital Muscat on June 15.