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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country was “prepared for peace” and ready for diplomacy with the United States, suggesting the possibility of an agreement between the two countries remained close despite U.S. threats.
Araghchi appeared on the US television network MS NOW on Friday and emphasized that there is no military solution to Iran’s nuclear program.
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“A diplomatic solution is within our reach and we can easily achieve it.” [it]” Araguchi said.
He denounced America’s massive military buildup in the Middle East, which includes two aircraft carriers and dozens of fighter jets, as “unnecessary and useless.”
“I have been in this business for the past 20 years and have negotiated with various parties. I know that an agreement is achievable, but it must be fair and based on a win-win solution,” Iran’s top diplomat said.
“[The] Military options will only complicate matters and have dire consequences not only for us but perhaps for the entire region and the international community as a whole. ”
Hours after Aragushi’s interview, US President Donald Trump was asked about the possibility of a limited strike against Iran to improve Washington’s negotiating position.
“I can tell you we’re considering it,” Trump told reporters.
But Araghchi warned that Iranians are “proud people” who will only respond to “words of respect.”
“Previous U.S. administrations, and even the current U.S. administration, have tried just about everything against us: war, sanctions, snapbacks, and nothing has worked,” he said.
The United States and Iran have held two rounds of talks in the past month, and officials from both countries have said negotiations are positive.
Still, the Trump administration continues to accumulate military assets around Iran.
On Thursday, the US president said the Iranian government had 10 days to reach an agreement with Washington. The deadline was later extended by up to 15 days. He said last week that a deal needs to be finalized within the next month.
President Trump also regularly makes threats against Iran, including warning of “very severe” and “traumatic” consequences for Iran.
Last June, the United States participated in Israel’s attack on Iran, bombing three of the country’s major nuclear facilities.
President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attack “annihilated” Iran’s nuclear program.
Tensions between the United States and Iran rose again late last year, when President Trump threatened to resume attacks on Iran if it rebuilds its nuclear program and missile force.
The status of Iran’s nuclear program has not been confirmed by international observers, and the whereabouts of the country’s highly enriched uranium remains unknown to the public.
The Iranian government maintains its right to enrich uranium, saying it does not violate its commitments under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
But President Trump and his aides have previously said they want Iran to completely dismantle its nuclear program.
Enrichment is the process of isolating and collecting rare foreign isotopes of uranium that can cause nuclear fission.
At low levels, enriched uranium can be used to generate electricity in power plants. If it is enriched to about 90%, it can be used to make nuclear weapons.
Iran denies developing a nuclear bomb but has said it is prepared to impose strict oversight and limits on its enrichment activities but will not abandon the program completely.
“The US side is not calling for zero enrichment,” Arraguchi said on Friday, which appears to contradict the Trump administration’s public position.
Iran’s foreign minister said the next step in the negotiations is for Iran to submit a written proposal for a deal to U.S. negotiators led by President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, after which the two sides could finalize the text of the deal.
“We agreed on a set of negotiating guidelines and what the agreement would look like,” Araghchi said.
“And we have been asked to prepare a draft of a possible agreement. So the next time we meet, we will be able to consider that draft, begin negotiating its text and hopefully reach a conclusion.”
