Iran said it was prepared for talks with the US if President Donald Trump ends his threats against the Islamic Republic and warned military strikes could trigger a wide conflagration in the Middle East.
Addressing reporters after meeting his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, in Istanbul on Friday, Araghchi accused Israel of encouraging Trump to attack his country and said Iran is “as ready for war” as it is ready to engage in negotiations with the US.
Iran is “even more prepared than before the 12-day war,” Araghchi said, referring to last June’s conflict with Israel which culminated in heavy air raids by the US on key Iranian nuclear sites.
Tensions between Iran and the US have escalated dramatically since Trump ordered a US aircraft-carrier strike group to the Middle East and threatened to attack the Islamic Republic. His motivations have shifted from wanting to punish Iran’s leadership for a brutal crackdown on recent protests to extracting a new nuclear deal.
Fears of a fresh war in the oil-rich Persian Gulf fueled a spike in crude prices this week, with Brent rising almost 7% to more than $70 a barrel. They pared gains on Friday after Trump said overnight he’d had discussions with Iran and indicated he expected them to continue.
Araghchi warned that should the US itself start another military attack on Iran “the situation will be very different” from the conflict with Israel and “unfortunately may go beyond the scope of a bilateral war.”
“Provided that it is fair and equitable, the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to participate in these talks and negotiations,” Araghchi said, adding that Iran would never negotiate over its missile program, the halting of which has been a key demand of the Trump administration.
“Under no circumstances are we willing to accept diktats or coercion,” Araghchi said.
Araghchi’s trip to Istanbul follows a flurry of diplomatic activity over the past few days which has seen various key powers in the Middle East — including US allies Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE — emphasize the need to reduce tensions and find a diplomatic solution to the standoff between Tehran and Washington.
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