Iran pursued talks because even 10% chance of avoiding war was worth exploring: Foreign minister

Iran pursued negotiations before the war because even a hypothetical 10% chance of achieving an outcome other than conflict was worth exploring, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said. "The negotiations had several objectives. One was that we might find a way through negotiations to achieve our demands, and we should not miss that opportunity," Araghchi said in an interview published Sunday. Araghchi said Iran had considered negotiations worth pursuing even if the chances of success were as low as 10%. “We said that even if there was only a 10% chance of reaching an outcome through negotiations other than war, we had to explore that opportunity. We might not succeed, but at least we would have exhausted all options and made our position clear -- to the enemy, the international community and our own people -- that we had tried every possible avenue,” he said. Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive against Iran in February. Tehran retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Gulf nations hosting US assets. Washington and Tehran reached a Pakistani-mediated memorandum of understanding last month to end their conflict and reach a lasting peace agreement, but tensions escalated again last week over the Strait of Hormuz, with the two sides exchanging attacks.