New Delhi: Iran is prepared for renewed fighting with the United States but remains open to diplomacy, The Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said, as tensions continue over the future of the Strait of Hormuz. Araghchi said Tehran was ready to face any new US aggression, even if it led to what he called an apocalyptic war.
Speaking to NBC News’ “Meet the Press”, Araghchi said Iran had not abandoned diplomacy and that the choice now rested with the United States president, Donald Trump. “We are fully prepared for the war to be resumed,” he said, while adding that Tehran was still ready to pursue diplomatic efforts to find a path towards peace.
His comments came after Trump rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. According to reports Tehran had offered to restore normal maritime passage through the waterway within seven days as part of a wider arrangement to end the conflict.
Araghchi said, however, that Iran had not received an official rejection of the proposal through the mediators involved in the discussions. He said Tehran remained ready to reopen the waterway under an agreement that would also secure the release of frozen Iranian assets and allow the country to resume oil sales.
The proposal had earlier been conveyed to the US through Qatari mediators on the sidelines of the United Nations general assembly in New York, as previously reported by RNA Media. Tehran had proposed using the arrangement to create conditions for renewed negotiations while leaving the broader nuclear issue for subsequent talks.
Araghchi also dismissed the significance of the upcoming US midterm elections for Tehran’s calculations. He said Iran was focused on its national interests and would continue pursuing diplomacy because it should not miss any opportunity for peace.
Araghchi said Iran’s demands were not new and referred to a memorandum of understanding reached between Washington and Tehran in June. That understanding, which provided for a temporary ceasefire, collapsed within days after fresh strikes were exchanged between the two sides.
The Iranian foreign minister’s comments came after the United States ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, told NBC News that Washington had rejected the proposal for several reasons. Waltz said the US could not agree to Iranian demands involving access to frozen funds and sanctions relief, while also questioning who was making decisions in Tehran.
Waltz said he would not negotiate the terms of a possible agreement on Trump’s behalf. He added that the administration would keep all options on the table to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.