Iran’s top diplomat hopeful for negotiations even amid US military buildup

CNN

By Frederik Pleitgen, Joseph Ataman, Claudia Otto CNN

Tehran, Iran (CNN) — Even with US forces poised to strike Iran, the country’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CNN Sunday that he was “confident that we can achieve a deal” with the United States on Tehran’s nuclear weapons program.

“Unfortunately, we have lost our trust (in) the US as a negotiating partner,” he said, but the exchange of messages through friendly countries in the region was facilitating “fruitful” talks with the US.

There appeared to be similar optimism on the US side this weekend. Aboard Air Force One Saturday, US President Donald Trump told reporters that Iran was “talking to us, seriously talking to us.”

Refusing to promise that Iran would engage in direct talks with US negotiators, Araghchi highlighted the need to address the “substance of negotiations” rather than the form.

His remarks came as Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, struck a defiant tone, warning that any US strike on Iran would result in a regional war.

Khamenei told a crowd at the Imam Khomeini mosque in Tehran on Sunday that Iran does not “intend to attack any country, but the Iranian nation will deliver a firm blow to anyone who attacks and harasses it,” according to state media.

“The Americans should know that if they initiate a war, this time it will be a regional war,” he said, posting similar remarks on X.

Responding to the remark on Sunday, Trump said the world will soon see whether Khamenei was correct in warning that a US attack would spark a regional war. “Why wouldn’t he (Khomeini) say that? Of course, you can say that,” Trump said.

“But we have the biggest, most powerful ships in the world, over there, very close,” Trump added. “And hopefully we’ll make a deal.” “If we don’t make a deal, then we’ll find out whether he was right.”

Progress toward renewed negotiations appears to have stumbled on Iranian demands that they concentrate on nuclear issues – and the US refusal to reduce its military presence in the region, which looms large over any diplomatic efforts.

Pressed by CNN on questions of Iran’s extensive missile arsenal – believed to have been largely rebuilt following last year’s war with Israel – and the country’s regional proxies, like the Yemen-based Houthis that have harassed regional shipping, Araghchi said the focus must be on Iran’s nuclear capabilities instead.

“Let’s not talk about impossible things,” he said, “And not lose the opportunity to achieve a fair and equitable deal to ensure no nuclear weapons. That as I said, is achievable even in a short period of time.”

In return, Araghchi said that Tehran would expect the lifting of US sanctions – which have been a yoke around the neck of the Iranian economy for more than a decade – as well as respect for Iran’s right to continue nuclear enrichment for peaceful purposes.

If talks fail, Iran was ready for war, Araghchi promised, although a conflict would likely spiral beyond Iran, he said, echoing Khamenei’s comments.

But a war, “would be a disaster for everybody,” Araghchi said, and US bases across the region would be targets for Iran’s military, which had seen the limitations and strengths of its missile arsenal in last year’s 12-day war against Israel.

Human rights groups have estimated that at least several thousand people were killed in street protests across Iran last month, which led Trump to warn Tehran that the US would carry out strikes against the regime.

Trump declined on Saturday to say whether he has decided on a potential military strike against Iran.

“Some people think that. Some people don’t,” Trump said when asked about concerns that backing away from a strike would embolden Tehran.

Trump again refused to provide specifics about a possible military strike, repeating comments he has made previously.

“I certainly can’t tell you that, but we do have very big, powerful ships heading in that direction,” he said. “As you know, I can’t tell you. I hope they negotiate something that’s acceptable.”

Regional efforts to avert conflict have involved a flurry of diplomatic activity in recent days, including a visit to Tehran by Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani on Saturday.

Qatar’s foreign ministry said the two sides “reviewed ongoing efforts to de-escalate the tensions in the region.”

There was also a call Saturday between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who “reiterated Egypt’s persistent efforts aimed at bringing the United States and Iran back to the negotiating table,” according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has never sought, and in no way seeks, war and it is firmly convinced that a war would be in the interest of neither Iran, nor the United States, nor the region,” Pezeshkian told Sisi, according to the Iranian presidency.

Anger at home

On the streets of Tehran, the violent suppression of January’s protests is at the forefront of people’s minds.

Asked about the government response, Araghchi blamed “terrorist elements” receiving orders from abroad for stirring up dissent and provoking violence, as have Khamenei and Iranian state media throughout the crisis.

Talking about the violent peak of protests, he said, “We consider these three days as the continuation of those 12 days of war that was an operation led by Mossad from outside and of course, we crushed that operation.”

“There was no plan for the execution or hanging” of protesteors, he said, denying Trump’s assertion that he had received guarantees from Iran that executions would be halted.

“I can affirm that the right to each and every person who is arrested and detained would be observed and guaranteed,” he said.

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CNN’s Riane Lumer contributed to this report.