Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has reiterated that Iran will not back down from its conditions for ending the current standoff with the United States, saying the outcome will depend entirely on the rationality of Washington.
Araghchi said in remarks published on Monday that Iran is “more prepared than ever” to respond to a new act of aggression by the US, although he insisted that the country remains open to a diplomatic solution.
In a brief interview with the official IRNA news agency in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, he said the only way for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf is for the US to accept Iran’s conditions, which include a permanent end to the aggression and the lifting of the blockade and sanctions against the country.
Iran has restricted cargo transit through the Strait of Hormuz since early March, days after it was attacked by the US and the Israeli regime.
“We have presented our conditions and proposal, and everything depends on Washington’s political wisdom. If they choose genuine diplomacy, we are ready to engage. But if they intend to deceive us and launch military operations, they will face a response more bitter and more severe than before,” the minister said.
Araghchi said Iran has been holding “extremely intensive” consultations with representatives of Qatar and Pakistan as part of a regional mediation effort to end the war with the US.
He insisted, however, that resumption of Iran-US negotiations to resolve disputes between the two countries requires Washington to first accept Iran’s conditions.
“Tehran’s conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz are entirely clear and transparent. If these conditions are accepted, the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened, and negotiations will resume. Otherwise, the current situation will continue, and Iran will not bow down,” the top Iranian diplomat said.
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