US has come to realize there is no ‘military solution’ to Iran’s nuclear issue: Ex-diplomat

By Mohammad Ali Haqshenas

Washington has been forced to recognize that pressure and military threats cannot resolve the nuclear issue with Iran, leaving diplomacy — focused strictly on the nuclear file — as the only viable path forward, says a former Iranian diplomat.

In an interview with the Press TV website, Ahmad Dastmalchian, former Iranian ambassador to Jordan and Lebanon, said Iran’s nuclear program has “no military solution,” and it has already  been “proven to the Americans.”

The new phase of indirect talks between Tehran and Washington began last Friday in Muscat, mediated by Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described it as a “good start,” stressing that the talks are focused solely on the nuclear file and must proceed “free from tension and threats.”

For Tehran, the framework is clear. An agreement is achievable if the US gives up its excessive demands and sticks to the nuclear issues that have been the bone of contention.

“Iran does not have nuclear weapons production in its defense doctrine,” Dastmalchian said. “The Islamic Republic is ready to provide the necessary guarantees that must be given accordingly.”

He referred to statements by US President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance, emphasizing that Iran must not obtain nuclear weapons. “Perhaps this is a common point,” he noted.

Yet the former diplomat and foreign affairs analyst stated that complications arise not from the nuclear file itself, but from Washington’s “unreasonable demands.”

“Enrichment is an undeniable right that the Islamic Republic of Iran has insisted on from the beginning, because it is a science and knowledge,” Dastmalchian said.

Nuclear expertise, he added, extends beyond energy into multiple civilian sectors. From Tehran’s perspective, recognizing that right is a prerequisite for any durable agreement.

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