The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to wage war, but does not seek to unleash it, and the “diplomatic path” in relations with the United States has not reached an impasse, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said.
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“The reality is that we cannot say that the path of diplomacy has reached an impasse (in negotiations with the United States). Because the alternative to diplomacy is war. Therefore, all countries try to use diplomatic means as much as possible. But sometimes war is inevitable. We have always avoided war. At the same time, we are fully prepared for war and are not afraid of it. But we are not striving for it, and this should be clear,” Araqchi, whose words were published on the Telegram channel of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said.
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In early March, US President Donald Trump announced that he had sent a letter to Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, in which he stipulated that he would prefer to conclude a deal with Tehran on the issue of Iran’s nuclear program. Afterwards, the American president noted that Washington is considering two possible ways to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue – military or diplomatic, stressing that he prefers negotiations.
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In a letter to Iran’s supreme leader Khamenei, Trump set a deadline of two months for concluding a new nuclear deal.
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Back in February, Trump announced that he was ready to conclude a deal with Iran instead of conducting military operations against it. Trump said he would like to conclude a “verified” nuclear peace agreement with Iran that would allow Tehran to develop and prosper peacefully, calling for work to begin immediately. At the same time, Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the Iranian news agency IRNA that Moscow was ready to assist Tehran in resolving issues related to the Iranian nuclear program.
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In 2015, the United Kingdom, Germany, China, Russia, the United States, France and Iran concluded a nuclear deal that provided for the lifting of sanctions in exchange for limiting Iran’s nuclear program.
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Under Trump’s previous presidency, the United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018 and restored sanctions against Tehran. In response, Iran announced a phased reduction of its obligations under the agreement, abandoning, in particular, restrictions on nuclear research and the level of uranium enrichment.
