Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he has not contacted Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in recent days nor is he asking for negotiations, state media reported today.
The US president said on Tuesday that another “armada” was headed for Iran, but added that he hoped he would not have to use it and repeated warnings to Tehran not to kill protesters or restart its nuclear program.
The US deployed additional military assets to the Gulf after protests in Iran earlier this month led to the country’s bloodiest crackdown since the 1979 Islamic Revolution with thousands killed and arrested.
Aragchi: “We don’t talk to the US”
“There has been no contact between me and Witkov in recent days and no request for negotiations has been made by us,” Aragchi told state media, adding that various mediators were “conducting consultations” and in contact with Tehran.
“Our position is clear, negotiations will not proceed with threats and talks can only take place when there are no more threats and excessive demands,” he stressed.
Iran’s President Massoud Pezhekian told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman yesterday, Tuesday, that Tehran welcomes any process, within the framework of international law, that prevents war.
Diplomacy lesson to USA from Fidan
For his part, Turkey’s foreign minister today called on the US to resolve its differences with Iran “one by one” rather than through a comprehensive agreement and added that Tehran is ready for talks on its nuclear program.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Hakan Fidan reiterated that Turkey opposes foreign intervention or attack on Iran, saying it would be “a mistake to start the war again”.
“My advice to American friends is always this: close the files on the Iranians one by one. Start with the nuclear program, shut it down, then another, then another,” Fidan said.
“If you put it all together, it will be very difficult for our Iranian friends to digest,” he said. “Sometimes it can seem humiliating for them. It will be very difficult to explain, not only to them, but also to the leadership.”
Turkey, a NATO member bordering Iran, has said it has tried to contact both American and Iranian officials. Ankara has said Tehran should be allowed to handle its domestic affairs on its own, warning that any destabilization would exceed the region’s ability to handle it at this time.
Fidan also stated that Israel is still planning to attack Iran.
