Tehran: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has accused both the United States and Israel of deliberately destroying ongoing diplomatic efforts over Iran's nuclear programme by launching coordinated military strikes on Iranian facilities.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) published on Sunday, Araghchi said, “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.” The statement refers to Israeli airstrikes on Iran's nuclear sites on 13 June, followed by a separate round of US strikes on Sunday.

Araghchi also criticised statements from European officials urging Tehran to return to the negotiating table. “What conclusion would you draw?” he wrote. “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?”

The remarks come amid escalating tensions following Israel’s Operation Lion’s Country, which targeted suspected nuclear infrastructure in Iran, prompting a new wave of geopolitical uncertainty. Iran has insisted that it remains committed to diplomatic dialogue, even as it faces growing international isolation and security threats.

The United States has not yet issued a formal response to Araghchi’s accusation, but senior Biden administration officials earlier described the airstrikes as "targeted defensive actions" following "credible intelligence" on Iranian weapons development.

As the situation develops, European powers have continued to call for de-escalation and a recommitment to the 2015 nuclear agreement framework, which has been under severe strain since the US withdrawal in 2018 and the ensuing years of stalled negotiations.
(With AFP inputs)