Iranupdated 1h ago3 min read
Abbas Araghchi Says Iran Prepared for All Scenarios as Trump Iran Talks Continue
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Iran prepared for all scenarios as US-Iran talks continue. Tehran will decide direct or indirect talks after Washington's agreed conditions.
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Talks, threats, and readiness
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that “We are prepared for all scenarios,” as Qatari-mediated contacts between Tehran and Washington continued for two days while both sides expressed readiness for renewed military escalation. Araghchi said Iran’s proposal to partly reopen the Strait of Hormuz could be enforced after two days, down from seven days, as he described a potential diplomatic opening alongside a willingness to expand attacks or even launch preemptive strikes if war was inevitable.
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday the talks were going “fine” but added that Iranian authorities were not “reliable,” and Trump also said he still had to “take care of, I would say, one or two sites” in Iran. Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s office said he had met top military commanders to demand “maximum deterrence” through preparedness for an immediate response “without geographical restriction,” and Iranian authorities signalled they expected more potential attacks from the US and Israel, including against Iran’s power grid.
Conditions, concessions, and sequencing
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran would decide whether to hold direct or indirect talks only after Washington agreed to its conditions, and he described a recent US effort to reopen dialogue as a positive step while dismissing reports of an imminent meeting as speculation.
Araghchi said Iran’s demands included the lifting of sanctions imposed after the Islamabad memorandum of understanding, the restoration of waivers for Iranian oil exports, the release of frozen Iranian assets, and a reduction in US military forces in the region.
Negar Mortazavi, a senior fellow with the Center for International Policy, told Al Jazeera that there were “indications” of US interest in a negotiated settlement, while she said “the central difficulty is sequencing and leverage” because each side wanted the other to act first.
Reuters reported that Iranian negotiators held talks in Doha with Qatari mediators to discuss paths out of war after the US midterm elections, and Reuters quoted Rubio saying, “There are multiple talks. Talks have actually never stopped.”
Regional bracing and maritime stakes
Anwar Gargash, a senior advisor to UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, told a conference in Bahrain that the Emirates did not want to see another round of fighting in the Gulf region and preferred a diplomatic and political agreement, while also saying “we are also prepared for the worst-case scenario.” Gargash said the main demand of the Persian Gulf states, with the UAE at the forefront, was to restore the situation in the Strait of Hormuz to what it was before the war began, and he described the route as “critically important for trade and energy supply.”
Reuters reported that Iran has repeatedly said it would respond to any new attacks by striking at US and Israeli targets in neighbouring countries, and Reuters quoted Khamenei ordering an “immediate, impactful, and geographically unrestricted response.” Al Jazeera reported that vessels continued to be attacked in and around the Strait of Hormuz if they refused to coordinate with the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, and it said at least four tankers were identified as being hit on Friday and Saturday.