Iranian foreign minister says 'no talks' with US on nuclear program while Israel continues attacks

Iran's foreign minister said Friday that there will be "no talks" with the U.S. over his country's nuclear program while Israel continues its missile attacks on Iran.

“The Americans have sent serious messages asking for serious talks. But we have no words for America,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview posted by Iran's state broadcaster IRIB, according to NBC News. He also said the U.S. has taken part in Israel’s “crimes” and “aggression” against Iran.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh also told the BBC that there would be “hell for the whole region" if the U.S. joined Israel's attacks on the Islamic Republic.

“This war is not America’s war,” Khatibzadeh said. “But if they would like to get into this war, President Trump will be remembered forever for the war that is not his war.”

Araghchi confirmed to Iranian state media that he will be meeting Friday with his counterparts from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the European Union in Geneva as part of an effort to end the attacks between the country and Israel. 

However, Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will not attend, according to a White House official.

“This is a meeting between European leaders and Iran,” a White House official told NBC News. “The president supports diplomatic efforts from our allies that could bring Iran closer to taking his deal.”

Meanwhile, according to Iran's state-run Nour news agency, its military launched several ‘Sejjil-3’ ballistic missiles targeting Israeli broadcaster Channel 14’s field broadcast headquarters in the Israeli port city of Haifa.

Araghchi also said that Israel had launched strikes on Iran's heavy water nuclear facility in Arak that was under construction and in compliance with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s safeguards. Heavy water is a form of water used in nuclear reactors.

The Iranian foreign minister referred to the United Nations' Security Council’s resolution 487 and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, saying, “language in that resolution is unambiguous: any military attack on nuclear facilities is an assault on the entire IAEA safeguards regime and ultimately the NPT.”

Israel and Iran have been trading missile fire since June 13, when the former hit the latter's military and nuclear sites. At least 639 people in Iran have been killed, according to a human rights group, and the Iranian health ministry says more than 2,500 people have been wounded. Israel's death toll is 24 from Iran's strikes.

Trump said that he will make a decision within the next two weeks on whether the U.S. will become directly involved in the Israel-Iran conflict.