SAEDNEWS: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned the United States that his country is ready for war if Washington wants to “test” it.
According to SAEDNEWS, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned the United States that his country is ready for war if Washington wants to “test” it, after US President Donald Trump threatened to take military action in response to Iran’s crackdown on armed rioters and terrorists.
In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera Arabic on Monday, Araghchi said channels of communication with the US were open amid the ongoing unrest but stressed that his country was “prepared for all options”, saying that Iran now has “large and extensive military preparedness” compared to last year’s 12-day war.
His comments follow Trump’s remarks on Sunday, amid violent riots in Iran. The US president had said he was considering “strong options” for Iran over its crackdown on the riots, including potential military aggression.
Trump claimed that a meeting was being set up with Tehran to negotiate on its nuclear programme, “but we may have to act because of what is happening before the meeting”.
“If Washington wants to test the military option it has tested before, we are ready for it,” said Araghchi, adding that he hoped the US would choose “the wise option” of dialogue, while warning of “those trying to drag Washington into war in order to serve Israel’s interests”.
In the interview, Araghchi alluded to the growing death toll, saying that “terrorist elements” had “infiltrated the crowds of protesters and targeted security forces and demonstrators”. Iran has blamed the US and Israel for provoking unrest in the country over the past two weeks.
Araghchi told Al Jazeera Arabic that his communications with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had “continued before and after the protests and are still ongoing”. He said that ideas that had been discussed with Washington were being studied in Tehran.
However, he added, “Washington’s proposed ideas and threats against our country are incompatible.”
“We are ready to sit at the nuclear negotiating table, provided that it is without threats or dictates,” said Araghchi, questioning whether Washington was “ready for fair and just negotiations”.
“When it is ready, we will seriously consider the matter,” he said.
