Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that Iran is ready for a U.S. ground invasion of the country as the war between Iran, the U.S. and Israel has quickly spread across the region. He also refused any negotiations with the U.S. and said that Iran had not asked for a ceasefire.
Araghchi spoke with “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas in a video interview from Tehran as U.S. and Israeli bombs continue to hammer the country.
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His comments came after the U.S. and Israeli military began a sweeping attack on Iran Saturday, which decimated the country’s military defenses and killed the country’s top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Asked if he was afraid of a possible U.S. ground invasion, Araghchi struck a defiant tone.
“No, we are waiting for them,” he said and added, “Because we are confident that we can confront them, and that would be a big disaster for them.”
Araghchi also said that Iran has not asked for a ceasefire, despite U.S. and Israeli strikes across the country.
“We didn’t ask for a ceasefire even last time. In previous time, it was Israel who asked for a ceasefire. They asked for an unconditional ceasefire after 12 days that we resisted against their aggression,” he said, referring to the 12-day war last June when the Israeli and U.S. military targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Last Thursday, Araghchi was in a very different place, negotiating a possible deal with President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner in Geneva.
The attack in the middle of the negotiations has soured Iran on any future talks, Araghchi said, adding that he had no communication with Witkoff or Kushner since last week.
“The fact is that we don’t have any positive experience of negotiating with the United States. You know, especially with this administration. We negotiated twice last year and this year, and then in the middle of negotiations, they attacked us,” Araghchi said.
He added, “So we see no reason why we should engage once again with those who have, who are not honest in negotiation, and they don’t and do not enter into negotiation in good faith.”
Araghchi had a grim outlook on the outcome of the current conflict.
“There is no winner in this war,” Araghchi said. “Our win is to be able to resist against, you know, the illegal, you know goals, and this is what we have done so far. So they have failed to achieve their goals, and we have been able to resist against them, to stand against the most powerful army of the world, as they claim, together with, you know, Israelis, who are also claim to have the big army.”
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