Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary, Ali Larijani, has accused Israel of trying to sabotage ongoing negotiations with the United States over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Speaking from Doha, Qatar, Larijani warned that Israel’s actions could ignite conflict across the region.
In an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic on Thursday, Larijani said Israel had fabricated pretexts to disrupt talks with Washington, describing the renewed negotiations as delicate.
“Our negotiations are exclusively with the United States – we are not engaged in any talks with Israel,” he stated. “However, Israel has inserted itself into this process, with the intent of undermining and sabotaging these negotiations.”
He accused Israel of trying to destabilize not just Iran, but Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, citing Israel’s September attack on Hamas officials in Doha as evidence.
US-Iran negotiations
Iran and the US held an indirect round of talks in Muscat, Oman, on Friday, aiming to resolve disputes over Tehran’s nuclear program amid a US military buildup in the region. Larijani confirmed that Tehran had not yet received a concrete proposal from Washington and that the Muscat talks were limited to exchanging messages.
He noted that both sides had common ground on Iran not pursuing nuclear weapons but emphasized that Iran’s missile program and zero uranium enrichment were off-limits in negotiations.
“Our missile program stands entirely separate from the nuclear one,” Larijani said, adding that uranium enrichment is necessary for peaceful civilian purposes, including medical applications.
Israeli pressure
Larijani highlighted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with former US President Trump in Washington, where Netanyahu presented principles for negotiating with Iran. He warned that Israel’s interference could lead to military escalation, noting that any US strike on Iran could trigger attacks on US military bases in the region.
Before leaving Doha, Larijani also met with Hamas leadership, including Muhammad Darwish, to discuss political developments and Israel’s ongoing conflicts in Gaza.
