Iran warns the entire region will ignite if the country is attacked

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned that any new conflict waged against the country  would ignite a catastrophe across the entire Middle East, as Tehran and Washington continue delicate talks over the country's nuclear programme.

"If war breaks out in the region, all countries and the entire region will be harmed," Araghchi said on Sunday in a stark message delivered during a meeting with members of Iran’s parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy.

While welcoming proposals to establish a regional uranium enrichment centre, he stressed that "uranium enrichment must also continue inside Iran". He insisted Tehran remained committed to dialogue. "We have not and will not abandon the negotiating table and will continue diplomacy," adding, "We will not negotiate under pressure. Our diplomacy is smart and will continue only with regard to the nuclear file."

"Negotiations are a battle of wills," he continued. "We are not in a hurry, nor are we causing delays. We will spare no effort to ensure that sanctions are lifted quickly - but not at the expense of the Iranian people's rights."

His comments come amid growing tension with European signatories to the 2015 nuclear agreement, who are threatening to invoke the deal’s dispute resolution mechanism if no new agreement is reached before 18 October. Araghchi warned that if they proceed, the move "will be met with a harsh response" from Iran, without specifying what form that might take.

Tehran maintains the mechanism can no longer be triggered after October and has accused European powers of attempting to revive cancelled UN sanctions in breach of the deal.

Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei denied reports that a sixth round of indirect negotiations with the US had been scheduled. The fifth round took place in Rome on Friday between Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, mediating the talks, said “some progress, but no resolution” had been made. "I hope the coming days will clarify the remaining issues so we can move forward toward our shared goal of reaching a lasting and dignified agreement," he wrote on X.

Araghchi described the session as "one of the most professional rounds of negotiations," confirming that Oman had submitted new proposals.

"It was agreed that both sides will discuss the proposals technically and refer them to their capitals, but without this constituting a commitment by either party," he added.

Israel has strongly opposed renewed US-Iran negotiations, lobbying against diplomacy while continuing to issue threats of unilateral military action. Israeli officials have dismissed the talks as futile and have pressured Washington to abandon engagement, even as Iran signals willingness to return to the nuclear deal framework.

At the same time, Israel has escalated its rhetoric, with senior figures repeatedly threatening to strike Iranian nuclear sites - a stance critics say undermines diplomacy and risks provoking wider regional conflict. Israel's belligerence to the US policy towards Iran has led to claims of a rift between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.