Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran is prepared for a possible US ground operation and that such an undertaking would be a “major disaster” for the US. Speaking in an interview, Araghchi added that Iran is not open to any negotiations with the US and has not requested a ceasefire.
Speaking via video link from Tehran to NBC Nightly News host Tom Llamas, Araghchi made the remarks amid ongoing US and Israeli bombardments of the country. The attacks, which began on Saturday, are said to have severely weakened Iran’s military defenses and led to the death of the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
When asked whether he feared a possible US ground invasion, Araghchi responded in a defiant tone. Stating that Iran was prepared for such a scenario, Araghchi said, “No, we are waiting for them. We are confident that we can confront them, and it would be a great disaster for them.”
The Iranian minister also stated that his country had not requested a ceasefire. Referring to previous conflicts, Araghchi said, “We didn’t ask for a ceasefire last time either. It was Israel that requested a ceasefire in the previous period. After 12 days of fighting, they demanded an unconditional ceasefire because we resisted their attacks.” Araghchi was referring here to the 12-day conflict last June in which the US and Israel targeted Iranian nuclear facilities.
Last week, Araghchi was in a different position. He was in Geneva, Switzerland, holding talks with US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner about a possible deal.
However, Araghchi stated that the attacks, which occurred while negotiations were underway, changed Iran’s perspective on future talks with the US, and added that he had not been in contact with Witkoff or Kushner since last week.
Araghchi, stating that they have not had a positive experience negotiating with the US, said, “The truth is, we have not had a positive experience negotiating with the US, especially with this administration. We negotiated twice, last year and this year, but they attacked us while the talks were ongoing.”
Therefore, Araghchi stated that they saw no reason to resume talks with the US, arguing that the Washington administration had not been honest or acting in good faith during the negotiations.
Painting a pessimistic picture of the outcome of the current conflict, Araghchi said there would be no winner in the war. “There is no winner in this war,” the Iranian minister stated, adding that Iran’s victory would be “being able to resist illegal objectives.”
*This is not investment advice.
