Iran dismissed the idea that it would establish diplomatic ties with Israel, describing the idea on Saturday as “wishful thinking.”
The statement came nearly two weeks after US President Donald Trump suggested that the Islamic Republic, Israel’s chief regional adversary, could normalize relations with the Jewish state after decades of calling for its elimination.
“The Abraham Accords are amazing,” Trump said at a White House press conference last month with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, referring to the normalization agreements he brokered in 2020 between Israel and four Arab countries.
Shortly afterward, he added, “Maybe even Iran can get in there. We hope we’re going to be able to get along with Iran. I think they’re going to be open to it. I really believe that. But they could be a member.”
Trump made the comments while announcing a ceasefire deal in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, which took effect on Friday. Iran has praised the agreement. But its foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on Saturday that Iran would not recognize Israel.
“Iran will never recognize an occupied regime that has committed genocide and killed children,” Araghchi told Iranian state television.
Iran had relations with Israel prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and if Tehran did decide to reestablish ties, it would be a stunning about-face. Iran’s leaders have called for Israel’s destruction and funded an axis of terror groups that have attacked Israel, including Hamas, which carried out the October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel that launched the war in Gaza.
Israel has also long been committed to denying Tehran the ability to obtain nuclear weapons. In June, Israel carried out a sweeping assault on Iran’s top military leaders, nuclear scientists, uranium enrichment sites, and ballistic missile program — an attack it said was necessary to prevent the Islamic Republic from realizing its vows to destroy the Jewish state.
Iran has consistently denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. However, it enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities. Israel said Iran had recently taken steps toward weaponization.
Iran retaliated to Israel’s strikes by launching over 500 ballistic missiles and around 1,100 drones at Israel. The attacks killed 31 people and wounded over 3,000 in Israel, according to health officials and hospitals.
The US joined the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities at the end of the war. That attack followed several unsuccessful rounds of negotiations between Iran and the US over Iran’s nuclear program.
On Saturday, Araghchi said Tehran would consider reentering talks with the US.
“If we receive a reasonable, balanced, and fair proposal from the Americans for negotiations, we will certainly consider it,” he told state television.
However, Araghchi said Iran will not give up its “right to enrich uranium” but can take confidence-building measures regarding “the peaceful nature of its nuclear program.”
Araghchi also said that Iran had received a message relayed by Russia indicating that Israel did not want any new confrontation with his country.
“Apparently, three or four days ago, there was a telephone call between Netanyahu and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” he said.
“Netanyahu emphasised that he had no intention of restarting a war with Iran,” Araghchi said, adding that the message was relayed to Tehran’s ambassador in Russia.