Iranian Foreign Minister: US hasn’t asked us to stop uranium enrichment

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday issued a stark warning to the United States, cautioning against military intervention as tensions in the Middle East escalate. Araghchi’s comments, in an interview with MS NOW , followed US President Donald Trump’s statement on Thursday that a decision regarding military action would be made within 10 days. The Iranian Foreign Minister said that "there is no military solution" to the standoff with the US. He emphasized that if the American administration genuinely seeks to "ensure that Iran’s nuclear program is peaceful and would remain peaceful forever, the only solution is diplomatic negotiation and coming to a diplomatic solution." However, the Iranian Foreign Minister underscored Tehran's resolve, stating that if an agreement is not reached, Iran is prepared for all eventualities. "We are prepared for diplomacy, and we are prepared for negotiation as much as we are prepared for war," he affirmed. Addressing inquiries regarding the specifics of ongoing negotiations, particularly reports of a US demand for a permanent halt to Iran’s uranium enrichment, Araghchi clarified that Iran has not "offered any suspension, and the US side has not asked for zero enrichment." Concerning President Trump’s 10-day timeline, Araghchi dismissed it as "no ultimatum," indicating that negotiators from both nations are focused on securing a "fast deal" that benefits both sides. "Obviously, any day the sanctions are terminated - sooner, it will be better for us, so we have no reason to delay a possibility or buying time. Not at all," he continued. "On the other side, for the U.S. side also, President Trump and his team are interested in a quick deal, so we agreed to work with each other to achieve a deal as soon as possible. The only question is how to make it a fair deal, a win-win deal, an equitable deal, and that is the difficult part of that." Araghchi expressed optimism for a diplomatic resolution, drawing on his two decades of experience in international negotiations. "I have been in this business in the past 20 years and negotiated with different parties. I know that a deal is achievable," he stated, while simultaneously warning that a military strike from the US "would only complicate this" and "bring about disastrous consequences, not only for us, perhaps for the whole region and for the whole international community." In a direct message to President Trump and members of Congress, Araghchi conveyed a firm stance. "The message is that previous U.S. administrations, even the current US administration, have tried almost everything against us - war, you know, sanctions, snapback, everything - but none of them worked," the foreign minister stated. He concluded with a clear statement on reciprocity: "If you talk with the Iranian people with the language of respect, we respond with the same language. But if they talk to us with the language of force, we will reciprocate in the same language." Araghchi’s comments are in line with a letter sent on Thursday by Iran to the United Nations Security Council and the UN Secretary-General, condemning what it described as the "persistent threat of the use of force" by the United States. Related articles: 'Offensive and destructive phase if US strikes continue' US launches strikes targeting Iranian military assets US Marines board tanker as Navy enforces blockade on Iran US completes seven-hour strike wave in Iran In the letter, the Iranian Ambassador to the UN stated that while the regime "neither seeks tension nor war," it will respond to any military aggression. "However, in the event that it is subjected to military aggression, Iran will respond decisively and proportionately in the exercise of its inherent right of self-defence under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations. In such circumstances, all bases, facilities, and assets of the hostile force in the region would constitute legitimate targets in the context of Iran's defensive response. The United States would bear full and direct responsibility for any unpredictable and uncontrolled consequences," he wrote. (Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)