Iran is prepared to resume negotiations with the United States, but these must be fair and not include Iranian defense capabilities, the head of Iranian diplomacy said this Friday (30), as regional powers work to avoid a military conflict between the two countries.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday (29) that, even with the sending of another American warship to the Middle East and the head of the Pentagon stating that the Armed Forces would be ready to comply with any of the president’s decisions.
Tensions between the US and Iran have increased in recent weeks following the violent repression of religious authorities.
One of the main American demands as a condition for dealing with Iran is the containment of its missile program, a senior Iranian official told Reuters news agency last week. Iran rejects this demand.
At a press conference in Istanbul following talks with his Turkish counterpart, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated that Iran is ready to participate in “fair and equitable” negotiations, but added that there are no meetings scheduled with American officials at the moment.
“Iran has no problem with negotiations, but they cannot take place under the shadow of threats. They must certainly set aside their threats and change their approach to fair and equitable negotiation, as Mr. Trump himself said in his post,” he declared.
Tehran says it is ready for negotiations or war
“I must also state unequivocally that Iran’s defensive and missile capabilities — and Iranian missiles — will never be the subject of any negotiation,” the foreign minister added.
“We will preserve and expand our defensive capabilities to the extent necessary to defend the country,” Araqchi said.
Regional allies including Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to avoid a military confrontation between Washington and Tehran.
In response to threats of US military action, Araqchi stated that Tehran is ready for both negotiations and war, and also to dialogue with countries in the region in order to promote stability and peace.
Araqchi and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said they have been speaking almost daily to discuss the tensions.
