Araghchi warns European officials against backing US and Israeli actions in Iran conflict
Iran's foreign minister calls the actions war crimes, as talks with Washington over the Strait of Hormuz continue on separate tracks
Published
Map: The Gulf and Hormuz, marking Strait of Hormuz
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has warned European officials against supporting what he calls war crimes by the United States and Israel.
The warning comes as Araghchi and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff have been discussing terms for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's security chief, Ali Rezaei, has ruled out any negotiation on reopening the strait until its conditions are met, and Iranian officials have tied any reopening to the lifting of the U.S. naval blockade. Rezaei has also said airports in countries that cooperate with Washington to stop Iranian flights will be unable to operate.
Witkoff has struck a different tone. He described recent talks with the Iranian delegation at the United Nations as lengthy, with mediators set to continue the process, and later called the discussions "constructive and promising" on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. Araghchi, for his part, has met Witkoff and called for an end to the war across all "resistance" fronts. Brent crude was trading near $99 a barrel on Tuesday.
Araghchi's public framing of U.S. and Israeli actions as war crimes lands at a moment when both sides have shown willingness to talk and oil prices have already been pricing in de-escalation. Combined with Iran's conditions on the Strait of Hormuz and on frozen assets, the accusatory language aimed at Europe points to Tehran hardening its negotiating posture rather than moving toward a resolution.