We Do Not Want the War to Continue, but We Are Fully Prepared for It: Iranian Foreign Minister

Iran is still not convinced that Washington is genuinely ready to resume nuclear negotiations with Tehran. This was stated by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, emphasizing the necessity of real intent to reach a mutually beneficial solution. Reports Tasnim agency.

In an interview with CGTN during the recent meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in China, Araghchi outlined the prerequisites for resuming negotiations regarding Iran's peaceful nuclear program in response to Israeli and US military strikes on the country’s nuclear facilities.

When asked about the "conflict" arising from attacks by Israel and the US against Iran, the foreign minister said, "This is not a conflict. This is an act of aggression by Israel against Iran. Unprovoked aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran. We had no choice but to exercise our right to self-defense. Therefore, we defended our country. We defended it very bravely. And we forced the aggressors to stop their aggression and demand an unconditional ceasefire, which we accepted. Peace is, of course, fragile. The reason is clear. I believe that the Israeli regime has not signed a ceasefire agreement, and this regime has a very bad reputation in this regard. We are very cautious. We are fully prepared. If the ceasefire is violated, but we do not want that. We did not want this from the very beginning. We did not want this war, but we were prepared for it. We do not want this war to continue, but again, we are fully prepared for it."

He also answered the question of what Iran should consider before deciding to resume nuclear negotiations with the United States. The Iranian foreign minister stated, "We are still not convinced of the presence of such real determination. At the same time, there must be a real intent to find a mutually beneficial solution. Our nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes, and we are 100% confident in that. And we have no problem sharing that confidence with others. And that can only happen through negotiations. And we did that in 2015 when we negotiated with the so-called P5+1 countries. And we came to an agreement. We signed a deal. And the whole world, if you remember, marked that as a diplomatic achievement in 2015. And we continue to adhere to that. Then suddenly the United States decided to withdraw its troops, which was very painful. Everything we see today is the result of that withdrawal.

Is there a chance to return to the agreed deal? I think yes. But as I already said, it requires the US side's truly serious determination to abandon the military option and to find a solution through negotiations. I think the recent attack on our nuclear facilities proved that there is no military solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. There should only be a diplomatic solution. A solution achieved through negotiations can work. And we would only be ready for that when they set aside their military ambitions and compensate for what they have done to us. And then we can resume negotiations.