Iran's Acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani said on July 16 that Tehran welcomes the resumption of talks with the United States aimed at reviving mutual participation in the nuclear deal whilst also seeking to strengthen ties with China, Russia, and neighbouring countries, local Entekhab reported on July 16.

Speaking to Newsweek magazine during his visit to New York for United Nations Security Council meetings, Bagheri Kani stated, "Iran welcomes the resumption of negotiations with the United States to revive mutual participation in the nuclear agreement.”

“However, we also intend to further strengthen our relations with China, Russia, and neighbouring countries,” he added.

The outgoing Raisi administration was fiercely against discussions with the US administration after US President Donald Trump pulled out of the JCPOA in 2018. The subsequent Biden administration also struggled to come to terms with the former hardline regime in Tehran.  

The Iranian diplomat, who is in New York to attend UN Security Council sessions, said he would call for increased measures against Israel, including "the potential use of force". He said that Israel is "losing the war against regional resistance".

Bagheri Kani also addressed recent events in Iran, including the death of the country's president and several high-ranking officials, including the foreign minister, in a helicopter crash.

He highlighted the swift response of the Iranian people, who participated in elections within 50 days of the incident, as a sign of national unity and stability.

"The holding of elections in less than 50 days, which was conducted with complete security, and the election of Dr Pezeshkian as the president-elect of my country, each carry constructive messages and signals for regional and global stability and peace," Bagheri Kani said.

The acting foreign minister is scheduled to participate in two UN Security Council meetings this week, focusing on multilateralism and the situation in Palestine and Gaza.

Iran's high-level participation in these UN Security Council sessions "demonstrates the importance that the Islamic Republic of Iran attaches to multilateral mechanisms and the central role of the United Nations," Bagheri Kani concluded.

In September 2023, prior to Raisi’s death, a deal came through between Iran and the US on September 18 to release prisoners.

In a series of events that resembled a Hollywood kidnapping blockbuster, five American detainees (with dual US-Iranian nationalities) held in Iran for years were flown out of the country and repatriated after Tehran confirmed the release of its $6bn frozen by the US in South Korea.