Neither Ceasefire Nor Negotiations Wanted: Iran’s Foreign Minister Gives Tough Response to America
Kathmandu : Stating that Iran has neither demanded a ceasefire nor sought any kind of negotiations with America, the country’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said that his nation is ready to defend itself against an “illegal war” for “as long as it takes.”
In an interview with American media outlet CBS News aired on Sunday, Araghchi strongly rejected allegations that Iran was seeking an end to hostilities.
“We have never demanded a ceasefire, and we have never even requested negotiations. We are ready to defend ourselves for as long as it takes,” the minister said.
He stated that Iran will continue its military operations until US President Donald Trump understands that “this is an illegal war and there is no victory in it.”
“We see no reason why we should talk to the Americans, because while we were talking to them, they decided to attack us, and that was for the second time,” Araghchi added.
Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, the minister clarified that Iran has not closed this waterway. “This decision is for our military to make, and they have already decided to allow some vessels from various countries to pass through,” he said.
Speaking on the nuclear issue, Araghchi reiterated Tehran’s stance that it has never sought to build nuclear weapons.
Revealing that during talks with America prior to the attack, Iran had agreed to dilute (downblend) its enriched uranium, the minister said that those enriched materials are now buried “under the rubble” following the strikes on nuclear facilities. “Everything is under the rubble,” he said, also informing that Iran currently has no plans to recover the stockpile of enriched uranium from the damaged sites.
