“We stand firm in the face of any aggression against us, even when it comes to a doomsday war,” Araghchi told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “At the same time, we are ready for diplomacy.”
Araghchi pointed to Iran’s seven-day cease-fire proposal as a “very reasonable plan on the table,” despite President Trump’s decision to reject that overture.
The proposal purportedly entailed the US unfreezing some $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets, ending the blockade, and easing sanctions in exchange for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump argued that the proposal wasn’t acceptable, and top administration officials contended that it asked the US to make too many concessions up front.
“They want to make a deal to open the Hormuz Strait immediately because they’re losing so badly,” Trump told reporters on Saturday.
Top officials, such as US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, argued that Iran couldn’t be trusted to abide by the cease-fire after it attacked vessels going through the Strait of Hormuz when the Memorandum of Understanding was in place.
“I have to say that although we heard from President Trump that he is rejecting this deal, but we are still waiting for an official response through the mediators,” Araghchi noted.
While Iran has taken steps to attack ships traversing sections of the Strait of Hormuz close to its shores, the Trump administration claims to have been getting ships through the critical waterway by using routes close to the shores of Oman.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright has claimed that oil transports through the Strait of Hormuz, where nearly one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil supplies once flowed through annually, are nearly back to pre-war levels. The current elevated prices on petroleum products are largely a result of refinement issues, according to Wright.
During the UN General Assembly last week, special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Iranian negotiators for about three hours, but there was little indication of any significant progress.
Trump, who dangled the possibility of pushing to annihilate the Islamic Republic during his UNGA speech, is considering a major military escalation against Iran after the midterm elections, the Wall Street Journal reported. So far, he’s been letting pressure from the blockade and the Treasury Department’s Operation Economic Outcast against Iran take a toll.
But Araghchi warned that Iran will be much better prepared for US strikes next time around.
“We are fully prepared for that,” the foreing minister said. “We have learned our lesson from the two previous wars, and we have corrected our tactics. We have changed our tactics, and we are fully prepared to do that.”
Despite arguing that the US is untrustworthy due to the fact that the Operation Midnight Hammer and Epic Fury attacks came in the middle of negotiations, Araghchi said the regime remains open to dialogue.
“There is always hope for diplomacy,” Araghchi said. “But to be honest with you, we have no reason to come back to diplomacy and engage with this administration once again, because of how they’ve behaved in the past two years.”
During the interview, Araghchi also addressed speculation about the current health of Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who hasn’t been seen publicly since an Israeli strikes killed his father and left him severely wounded.
“Well, there are security concerns, and you’re well aware of that. You know, our Supreme Leader was illegally assassinated during the last war. And I think it is very logical that we protect our leader in any way,” Araghchi said.
“We are all in one front, facing all challenges imposed on us by the US, by the sanctions or military operations.”
Araghchi insisted that Khamenei is still in charge and argued that security concerns precluded the regime from even cutting a video with its supreme leader to show proof of life. See video, and photos here.
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