Iran has declared it will not resume negotiations over its nuclear program while under military assault—an announcement made just hours after Israel's defense minister warned of a potentially prolonged conflict with the Islamic Republic.
On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with European diplomats in Geneva, who urged him to revive diplomatic efforts with the United States concerning Tehran’s nuclear activities.
In a video statement, Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said the country must prepare for a “prolonged campaign.”
Fighting raged into the night as the Israeli military launched a fresh wave of strikes targeting Iranian missile storage and launch sites.
This came in response to Iran’s missile attacks on central Israel. Explosions echoed near Tel Aviv, with interceptor missiles lighting up the sky over the country's second-largest city. Reports indicated that falling shrapnel set a building ablaze in central Israel.
Meanwhile, Iranian state media reported early Saturday that a 16-year-old was killed and two others were injured in an Israeli strike on the city of Qom, south of Tehran.
The same reports claimed that Israel had again targeted a nuclear facility in the city of Isfahan.
On Friday, Araghchi made it clear that Iran would only consider diplomatic engagement if "Israeli aggression comes to a halt."
He emphasized that Iran's nuclear program is peaceful and accused Israel of violating international law.
Iran, he said, would continue to "exercise its legitimate right to self-defense."
“I state unequivocally that Iran’s defense capabilities are non-negotiable,” he added.
Araghchi is scheduled to participate in another round of talks on Saturday in Istanbul, where he will meet representatives of the Arab League over the weekend.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations accused Iran of pursuing a “genocidal agenda” and being a persistent threat, asserting that Israel would not cease its attacks on nuclear facilities until they were fully “dismantled.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar claimed the ongoing military strikes had delayed Iran’s nuclear capabilities by at least two years.
