‘US partner to Israeli crime’; Iran says will not hold talks with Trump administration

Iran rejected any negotiation with the Donald Trump administration, labelling the US as a partner in Israeli aggression. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, “There is no room for negotiations with the US until Israeli aggression stops,” accusing the US of being “a partner to Israeli crime against Iran.” “The Americans have asked for negotiations, and our answer is no,” Abbas Araghchi was quoted by Iran International as saying. He claimed US President Donald Trump’s language around Israeli military actions shows Washington is already involved. “There is no longer any need for proof,” he said.

Araghchi added that calls for ending the war have already begun and will continue to grow. “We are engaged in legitimate self-defence, and this defence will not stop,” he said. Meanwhile, news agency AFP quoted the Iranian finance minister as saying in an interview with state TV, “The Americans have repeatedly sent messages calling seriously for negotiations.” "But we have made clear that as long as the aggression does not stop, there will be no place for diplomacy and dialogue," said the chief diplomat, who was due in Geneva for talks with his European counterparts. 

Trump delays decision to strike Iran

US President Donald Trump has delayed a decision on whether to join Israeli attacks on Iran. The White House says Trump will decide within the next two weeks whether to strike Iran. Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have said they don't want Iran to build a nuclear weapon. Meanwhile, Iran has insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful, but it is the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60 per cent, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent and far above the levels required for power stations. It said Trump still sees a “substantial” chance that negotiations can achieve US and Israeli demands on Iran’s nuclear programme, according to The Associated Press. 

Iran-Israel tensions

Israel and Iran have been bombarding each other with missiles ever since Israel launched ballistic missile attacks against Iran on June 12. Iranian missiles hit a major hospital in southern Israel and struck residential buildings in Tel Aviv on Thursday, wounding 240 people and causing extensive damage.  Meanwhile, Israel said it conducted airstrikes on Friday morning in Iran with more than 60 aircraft hitting what it said were industrial sites to manufacture missiles. It did not elaborate on the locations. The Israeli defence minister also threatened the Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Minister Israel Katz said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “should not continue to exist” if the military was to “achieve all of its goals”.