Iran ready for both war, diplomacy: FM
‘Relations with neighbors Iran’s top priority’
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated that just as Iran is fully prepared to defend itself decisively, it is also ready to engage in diplomacy and achieve a fair negotiated solution to end tensions between Tehran and Washington.
In an interview with IRNA in Turkmenistan’s capital on Monday, the Iranian foreign minister underlined that Iran will not back down from its conditions for ending the current standoff, saying the outcome will depend entirely on the rationality of Washington.
He said the only way for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is for the US to accept Iran’s conditions, which include a permanent end to the aggression and the lifting of the blockade and sanctions against the country.
Iran has restricted cargo transit through the strategic waterway since early March, days after it was attacked by the US and Israel.
“We have presented our conditions and proposal, and everything depends on Washington’s political wisdom. If they choose genuine diplomacy, we are ready to engage. But if they intend to deceive us and launch military operations, they will face a response more bitter and more severe than before,” the minister said.
Araghchi said Iran has been holding “extremely intensive” consultations with representatives of Qatar and Pakistan as part of a regional mediation effort to end the war with the US.
Mediators continue pushing for a deal between Iran and the US to end the eight-month war between the two countries amid fears the conflict could reignite after midterm elections in the US.
In recent days, Iranian and Qatari officials have held several rounds of talks aimed at bringing the US and Iran back to the negotiating table.
‘Ball in US court’
Iran’s Parliament speaker also said on Tuesday that, “The ball is now in America’s court to prevent a war”.
Addressing an open session of the Parliament on Tuesday, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that any potential enemy attack will trigger an “unpredictable” military and strategic response, saying Iran is prepared to confront any new aggression and will not limit its response to geographical boundaries.
The United States and its regional allies have learned from the two recent unprovoked wars against Iran that the era of excessive demands is over, the top legislator stated.
At the same time, Iran has delivered “a strong and rational” response to the US, Qalibaf noted, referring to the conditions the country has outlined through mediators for reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
“The ball is now in America’s court to prevent a war,” he stated.
Relations with neighbors
Iranian foreign minister in his interview with IRNA also referred to the relations with neighboring countries, stressing that the main priority in the foreign policy of Iran is its neighbors, and in the context of recent developments, the importance of these relations has become more apparent than ever.
Iran’s top diplomat also in a post on his X account emphasized that Iran has no animosity towards the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council member states.
“Our goal is to achieve new regional security arrangements that are formed by the countries of the region themselves and without the military presence of foreigners.”
During the recent aggression by the US and Israel, Iran repeatedly targeted the US military bases in the Arab countries. The attacks caused tensions between Tehran and the Arab countries. However, Iran defended its attacks, saying that its neighboring Arab countries should not have permitted the US to launch attacks from their territories.