Iran's foreign ministry on Sunday summoned the UK chargé d'affaires in Tehran in protest over what it called the "unlawful and baseless" arrest of several Iranian nationals in the United Kingdom in two separate anti-terror operations.
At the opening of Tehran Dialogue Forum on Sunday, Masoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed Tehran’s commitment to its peaceful nuclear program while rejecting accusations of weaponization.
“We have the right, under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes such as health, agriculture, and industry,” he said.
The president pointed out Iran’s long-standing position that it does not seek nuclear weapons, citing religious prohibitions and ethical opposition to weapons of mass destruction.
“Our religious belief does not permit the production of nuclear weapons — tools that can destroy humanity and have no future on this Earth besides savagery,” Pezeshkian said. “Even the US president said, ‘We must make sure Iran does not have a nuclear weapon.’ Fine — let them come and check. We have nothing to hide.”
The Tehran Dialogue Forum, organized by Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aims to promote unofficial diplomacy, according to the ministry. The two-day event includes participation from foreign ministers, senior policy officials, and UN representatives, with panel sessions livestreamed to audiences worldwide.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi — who has facilitated four rounds of indirect talks between Iran and the United States — attended the forum and may be carrying a new American proposal Trump alluded to Friday.
Trump said Iran has the US proposal, but hours later Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran has received no written offer, directly or indirectly.
Call for a ‘fair and balanced’ nuclear deal
In a keynote speech at the same forum, the Iranian foreign minister described US sanctions as “unjust and unilateral,” directly targeting Iranian civilians, and urged their genuine and verifiable removal.
He added that Tehran remains committed to diplomacy and the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. “We are seeking a fair and balanced agreement that fully respects Iran’s nuclear rights under the NPT and leads to the tangible and verifiable removal of sanctions,” Araghchi said.
“Sanctions that directly target our people must be lifted in a real and measurable way,” he added. “Such an agreement can serve the interests of both sides and promote peace, stability, and security in the region.”
Araghchi said again that Iran has never pursued nuclear weapons and expressed Tehran’s willingness to resolve international concerns through transparency and dialogue.
“We have always worked to address logical international concerns about our nuclear program through interaction and transparency,” he said.
Last month, UN's nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said in an interview with Le Monde that Iran was “not far” from being able to produce an atomic bomb, describing the country’s progress as “pieces of a puzzle” that could potentially come together.
Iran’s stockpile of 60% enriched uranium has risen to 275 kg, up from 182 kg last quarter, the the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief told the agency’s board in March, warning that Iran remains the only non-nuclear weapon state enriching to such a level.
The IAEA says 60% enrichment has no credible civilian use and is close to weapons-grade. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and remains under IAEA monitoring and has no secret nuclear site.
Iran outlines foreign policy strategy, offers reset with Europe
In his address, Araghchi outlined Iran’s evolving foreign policy under President Pezeshkian, structured around three pillars: expanding ties with neighbors, strengthening cooperation with emerging powers and the Global South, and balancing relations with both Eastern and Western blocs.
“Iran seeks to play an active role in shaping a multipolar, just global order,” he said, pointing to Iran’s membership in BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Iran views its participation in organizations like BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a sign of its growing alignment with multipolar global structures.
Araghchi also said Tehran is ready to begin a “new chapter” with Europe if European states adopt an independent and constructive approach.
He added that Tehran is open to improving ties with Europe if there is a “genuine will” and an “independent approach” from European partners. “If Europe is ready to move past a fixation on disputes, we are ready to open a new chapter.”
Earlier in the day, conservative daily Farhikhtegan reported that European powers pressed for a formal seat at the table and new enforcement mechanisms during Friday’s meeting in Iran’s consulate in Istanbul.
Rejecting ‘external domination’ for regional agency
Addressing the broader geopolitical context, both Pezeshkian and Araghchi denounced what they called foreign interference in West Asia.
“The fate of our region should not remain in the hands of extra-regional powers... it must not remain tied to decisions made in think tanks outside of it,” Araghchi said, citing the Gaza crisis as further evidence of the failure of international systems.
“West Asia needs a fundamental rethinking of its self-image,” Iran’s top diplomat said at the forum, titled “Regional Agency in a Disordered World: Unity or Division?”
He called for a rethinking of the region’s self-image, moving away from narratives imposed by outside actors and instead building an indigenous order. “It is time we dismantle the fabricated and imposed quasi-realities, and establish a local, desirable, and sustainable order,” he said.
Forum as a platform for unofficial diplomacy
The two-day Tehran Dialogue Forum, hosted by Iran’s Foreign Ministry think tank — the Center for Political and International Studies — brings together 200 foreign delegates, including ministers and decision-makers from Persian Gulf and Asian states, according to state media.
Saeed Khatibzadeh, head of the Center, described the forum as “a platform for unofficial diplomatic conversation” that consolidates prior regional conferences on the Persian Gulf, Central Asia, and Afghanistan into a single event aimed at strengthening regional diplomacy.
This year’s forum marks a return after a one-year hiatus due to the death of Iran’s former President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a helicopter crash
Khatibzadeh said the forum’s revival under the new administration signals a renewed commitment to diplomacy “rooted in regional priorities, not foreign agendas.”
“Diplomacy, like all other fields, has diverse methods — sometimes a single individual can advance diplomacy as much as an institution,” he said.
He said that all Persian Gulf states sent high-ranking delegations, and that the conference includes 40 panel discussions broadcast live. Around 50 foreign media outlets are covering the event, he said.
The message of Iran’s leadership at the Forum was clear: while Tehran is open to renewed engagement with the US and Europe, it will not accept coercion or compromise on what it views as sovereign rights.
“As a free human being, I reject all forms of coercion,” said President Pezeshkian. “So does every free person in this country and this region. Free nations will never bow to pressure.”
In the absence of the British ambassador, the UK diplomat was summoned by Shahram Ghazizadeh, director of the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s Western Europe Department, who conveyed Tehran's strong objections to both the arrests and what he described as unfounded accusations against the Islamic Republic.
Ghazizadeh demanded explanations from the UK government regarding the legal grounds for detaining the individuals, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
In two separate operations on May 3, eight men including seven Iranians were arrested by the British counter-terrorism police.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry official accused London of deliberately failing to notify the Iranian embassy in a timely manner and condemned what he described as Britain's refusal to provide evidence and its denial of consular access.
The Iranian official also warned that Britain would be held responsible for the consequences of actions that appeared politically motivated and aimed at pressuring Iran.
The UK police charged three of the Iranian detainees with offences under the National Security Act, alleging they acted on behalf of Iran’s intelligence service and carried out surveillance targeting Iran International journalists.
The men — Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 56 — were arrested at their homes in London on May 3 and charged on Friday.
All three are accused of engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service between August 14, 2024 and February 16, 2025, in breach of Section 3 of the National Security Act 2023. The foreign state involved is Iran, police said.
The five other detainees who had been arrested as part of a "pre-planned" investigation into a suspected plot to "attack a specific location" were later released from custody.
The five men included four Iranians arrested in different parts of the UK under the Terrorism Act on suspicion of preparing a terror attack. The men, aged between 29 and 46, were arrested in Swindon, west London, Stockport, and Rochdale.
The fifth man, aged 24 and arrested in Manchester under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, had previously been released on bail with conditions, pending a court date in May.
