'Israel nearly derailed Swiss talks'

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that Israeli attacks on Lebanon had almost derailed the process ahead of US-Iran talks in Switzerland.

In an interview with Al Arabiya recorded before the Switzerland talks, Dar acknowledged that spoilers remained active, pointing to heavy Israeli bombing in Lebanon after the deal was signed, which he said "actually derailed everything and stopped everything".

"This is something which actually is to provoke the parties to give a pause, don't move," he said, adding that wisdom had to prevail and that "the world community should convince and persuade and influence Israel not to do what they are doing".

Speaking about Iran's stance on uranium, DPM Dar said that Iran was willing to downblend its enriched uranium stockpile and showed no resistance to the proposal during 21 hours of direct talks hosted in Islamabad in April.

Dar said the stockpile question, which US President Donald Trump framed as a demand for the elimination of what he called "nuclear dust", had been a central point of discussion during the April 10-11 sessions. "Iran was flexible to talk," Dar said. "Iran was not willing to give it to the US, the stockpile. But the neutral thing is that it can be downblended."

DPM Dar also said he had consulted International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi on the mechanics of reducing Iran's stockpile, which Tehran claimed was enriched to above 60%, to 0.7% through downblending. He added that the quantity to be downblended remained subject to agreement, and noted that the question was complicated by the bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities.

"As long as it's not started being discovered and pulled out, it is already settled and the Iranian facilities have been bombarded. The question of a civil nuclear ban and the number of years it would run was also discussed," he said.