[Text/Observer Network Zhang Jingjuan] The military confrontation between Israel and Iran has lasted for a week, and the regional situation remains tense. Although the United States maintains a "limited intervention" restrained posture, with the escalation of the conflict, there is considerable uncertainty about Washington's degree of military involvement.

According to a BBC report on the 19th, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh called out, saying that if the United States decides to intervene in the conflict and support Israel, it will lead the "entire region into hell".

Khatibzadeh said that this is not America's war, and if former U.S. President Trump really gets involved, he will be remembered in history as a president who "got entangled in a war that was not his own".

He said that American involvement would make the conflict陷入 a "quagmire", and delay the end of the "atrocities".

Saeed Khatibzadeh Video screenshot

In an interview with the BBC, Khatibzadeh emphasized that "diplomacy is the first choice," but "no negotiations can be initiated during the bombing period."

This deputy foreign minister repeatedly stated that Iran's counterattack complies with the self-defense provisions of the UN Charter, and said that when the conflict escalated on the 13th, "we were in the midst of a diplomatic process."

Early that morning, Israel launched a large-scale air strike against multiple locations in Iran, bombing Iran's nuclear facilities, resulting in the deaths of several senior military commanders and nuclear scientists from the Iranian side.

Khatibzadeh described the conflict as "groundless" and "unnecessary".

The report said that Trump had repeatedly claimed that if Iran accepted the nuclear agreement, the conflict could have been avoided. Khatibzadeh responded by saying that the two sides had been negotiating until Israel's surprise attack on Iran "destroyed" the negotiations.

He said: "We were planning to hold the sixth round of nuclear negotiations in Masqat, the capital of Oman, and we were actually about to reach an agreement. Trump knew better than anyone else that we were about to reach an agreement at that time."

On the same day, Khatibzadeh also criticized Trump's "confusing and contradictory" remarks on social platforms and in interviews, saying that this indicates that "Americans have long known and participated in" the conflict.

The BBC reported that Israel accused Iran of recently "taking measures" to "weaponize" its uranium stockpile, which can be used for power plants or nuclear bombs. Iran insisted that it does not seek to develop nuclear weapons and has the right to peacefully develop nuclear energy under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

Earlier this month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in its latest quarterly report that Iran has accumulated enough uranium enriched to 60% purity, which is just one step away from weapons-grade uranium, i.e., 90%. The agency added that this poses a "very worrying matter" due to the risk of nuclear proliferation.

In response to this, Khatibzadeh dismissed it as "nonsense." He said, "You cannot launch a war based on speculation or intent."

"If we wanted to have a nuclear bomb, we would have had it long ago. Iran has never developed any nuclear weaponization plans in our peaceful nuclear activities. This is the bottom line," Khatibzadeh said.

On the 12th, the IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution targeting Iran with 19 votes in favor, 3 against, and 11 abstentions, determining that Iran violated its obligations under the NPT and indicated that it might refer the matter to the UN Security Council.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told CNN in an interview that despite over 20 years of inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities, the UN supervisory body has found no evidence that Iran is "systematically and strenuously" developing nuclear weapons.

Khatibzadeh also discussed potential diplomatic channels after the G7 summit in the interview. He said that Europe hopes to restore ministerial diplomacy. "They will meet in Geneva, and we are very pleased that they are finally sitting down to discuss current issues," he said.

Local time on June 19, 2025, inside the building of Iran's national television station in Tehran, which was severely damaged by Israeli army bombardment. IC Photo

Before Khatibzadeh made the above remarks, Iran launched another round of attacks against Israel.

Israel Defense Forces spokesman Devlin issued a statement saying that an Iranian-launched ballistic missile "directly hit" the Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, Israel. This claim was denied by Iran, which said that the target of the strike was the adjacent Israeli military intelligence center at the hospital, where a large number of soldiers were stationed, equipped with digital command systems and cyber warfare platforms, while the hospital was actually affected by the shockwave of the explosion.

On the same day, the Israeli military said that Israel had attacked Iran's nuclear facilities in Bushehr, Isfahan, and Natanz, and launched attacks on areas near Iran's heavy water reactor facility at Fordow.

The report pointed out that the latest attacks occurred at a critical juncture. On the 19th, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt read out the latest statement from U.S. President Trump at a press conference, saying that new negotiations with Iran may take place "in the near future," and whether to join Israel's attacks on Iran will be decided "within the next two weeks."

On the same day, Iran confirmed that Iran's Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian plans to hold nuclear talks in Geneva on the 20th with the foreign ministers of Germany, France, and the UK.

Reuters reported that since last week, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Hartykov, has held multiple calls with Abdollahian in an effort to end the conflict through diplomatic channels.

Three diplomats revealed that Abdollahian said that unless Israel stops its attacks, Iran will not return to negotiations.

This article is an exclusive article by Observer Network and is unauthorized to be reprinted.

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7517873576339407360/

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