Iran does not seek war with Israel or the United States but is prepared to respond if attacked, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday (8 January ) as economic protests sweep the country and Tehran's crackdown reportedly intensifies.
Speaking in Beirut, Araghchi said Tehran is also open to negotiations with Washington over its nuclear programme, provided talks are conducted on a basis of mutual respect rather than “dictation” by the U.S.
“America and Israel have tested their attacks on Iran, and these strategies failed,” Araghchi told the press at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport, Lebanon's National News Agency reports.
“If they repeat it, they will face the same results. We are ready for any choice. We do not desire war, but we are ready for it,” he added.
The Iranian minister also emphasised the country’s willingness to engage in constructive dialogue over its atomic programme.
“Negotiations should be based on mutual respect and mutual interests,” he said.
“Once the Americans adopt a constructive framework rather than issuing dictations, the results of these talks will be fruitful,” the Iranian FM concluded.
Araghchi’s remarks come amid heightened fears of renewed conflict following last June’s 12-day clashes, when Israel struck Iranian targets (including military officials and nuclear scientists) and the U.S. attacked several nuclear enrichment sites.
Iran resumed uranium enrichment up to 60% purity after the United States withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement in 2018 under U.S. President Donald Trump, who reimposed sanctions and launched a “maximum pressure” campaign against Tehran.
While Iran maintains its nuclear programme is peaceful, Western nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have said the country pursued a nuclear weapons programme until 2003.
Trump last month warned Iran that further U.S. military action could follow if Tehran attempts to rebuild its nuclear capabilities, during meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida.
Lebanon visit
Araghchi’s two-day visit to Beirut coincided with Lebanon’s military announcement that it had completed the first phase of a plan to disarm militias, including Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Leading an economic delegation, the Iranian minister discussed regional and international affairs with Lebanese officials.
“Iran desires comprehensive relations with Lebanon, including economic partnerships,” he said.
The visit also comes in the context of the October 2023 Israel-Hezbollah conflict, triggered by Hamas attacks on southern Israel.
The war ended with a ceasefire in November 2024, after Israel’s ground and air operations weakened Hezbollah, killed much of its leadership, and required both sides to vacate southern Lebanon in favour of the Lebanese Armed Forces.
NATO air defence systems intercepted a third Iranian ballistic missile over Tür...
Leaders of Iran, Israel, and the United States reiterated their determination to press on with the conflict on Friday (13 March), as the Middle Eas...
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has accepted a peace prize awarded to him in Ankara. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presented...
The European Commission will ...
KPop Demon Hunter fans listen up, Netflix has announced a follow-up to the hit movie! Director Maggie Khan says shes excited to show the world what...
Leaders of Iran, Israel, and the United States reiterated their determination to press on with the conflict on Friday (13 March), as the Middle East war approached two weeks, leaving thousands dead and millions affected, tensions in the region escalated further with a deadly attack in Iraq.
The European Commission will instruct governments to be flexible in enforcing EU rules on gas imports, diplomats told Reuters on Thursday (12 March), a move likely to benefit imports from Azerbaijan.
Ayman Ghazali, a 41-year-old U.S. citizen born in Lebanon, crashed his truck into the hallway of a Detroit-area synagogue on Thursday (12 March) while children attended preschool. Security personnel shot him dead during the confrontation, and authorities said no one else was seriously injured.
Iran should continue “blocking the Strait of Hormuz,” while the U.S. should “shut” its Middle East military bases, new Iranian Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Thursday in his first speech since being elected. He is still yet to appear in public, and a broadcaster read out his words.
The U.S. should shut down its military bases in the Middle East, Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday (12 March). His words were read out by a broadcaster on state Iranian television.
More than 68,000 children in eastern Afghanistan have been displaced after clashes between Afghan and Pakistani forces intensified along the border, according to a new report by Save the Children.
Leaders of Iran, Israel, and the United States reiterated their determination to press on with the conflict on Friday (13 March), as the Middle East war approached two weeks, leaving thousands dead and millions affected, tensions in the region escalated further with a deadly attack in Iraq.
“Get ready for oil to be $200 a barrel," a spokesman for the Iranian Army warned the world on Wednesday (11 March), as attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz escalated. Meanwhile, 32 countries agreed to the largest ever release of oil reserves in an attempt to reduce prices.
Norwegian police apprehended three brothers suspected of carrying out Sunday's (8 March) bombing at the U.S. embassy in Oslo, in an attack investigators have branded an act of terrorism.
Leaders of Iran, Israel, and the United States reiterated their determination to press on with the conflict on Friday (13 March), as the Middle East war approached two weeks, leaving thousands dead and millions affected, tensions in the region escalated further with a deadly attack in Iraq.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has accepted a peace prize awarded to him in Ankara. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan presented the Atatürk International Peace Prize to the UN chief in the country’s capital.
Iran should continue “blocking the Strait of Hormuz,” while the U.S. should “shut” its Middle East military bases, new Iranian Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Thursday in his first speech since being elected. He is still yet to appear in public, and a broadcaster read out his words.
International security and climate change are top of the agenda as leaders and policymakers from around the world meet at the 13th Global Baku Forum in the Azerbaijani capital this week.
Fifteen Turkish-owned vessels remain stranded in the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, Türkiye’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said on Wednesday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment