Iran foreign minister claims country is not sure it can trust US diplomacy after Israeli attacks

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday said his country and its leaders are not convinced they can trust the United States in diplomatic talks, after Israel attacked it just days before Iran was expected to meet with U.S. officials.

The comments come after the White House announced Thursday that President Donald Trump would make a decision in the next two weeks on the role that the U.S. would play in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. 

Araghchi told NBC News it would be up to the Trump administration “to show their determination for going for a negotiated solution," and indicated that the U.S. might not be interested in real diplomacy because of the timing of the other talks.

“So they had perhaps this plan in their mind, and they just needed negotiations perhaps to cover it up,” Araghchi said. “We don’t know how we can trust them anymore. What they did was, in fact, a betrayal to diplomacy.”

The foreign minister praised US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff who has been leading the negotiations with Iran, but appeared to lose trust in what the envoy promised the country in previous negotiations.

“I think he is a gentleman, somebody you can work with, but unfortunately, he changed his words every time we met. So maybe that was because he couldn’t deliver what he promised to us,” Araghchi said. “There is a lack of confidence now between us because he didn’t deliver his promises and what he told us that we can do.”

Araghchi held strong to Iran's refusal to give up enriching its uranium, which is considered a dealbreaker for the U.S., stating that they were doing so for peaceful purposes and that it was a matter of "pride."

“I told [Trump] several times zero enrichment is impossible,” he said. “This is an achievement of our own scientists. It’s a question of national pride and dignity."

He also commented that even if Israel and possibly the U.S. do wipe out Iran's nuclear facilities, his country has made advances in its "knowledge" of nuclear technology, which cannot be destroyed. 

The Iranian additionally dismissed negotiations with the United States until Israel stops its attacks, stating that Trump only needed to make a call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to show that he was serious about peace in the region.

“[Americans] can stop this process very quickly, and then we will consider diplomacy once again," he said.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.