In a defiant televised interview with NBC News aired Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi declared that Tehran is neither seeking a ceasefire nor sees any justification for negotiating with the United States. The minister’s statements come amid escalating military confrontations between the two nations.
Araghchi explicitly stated Iran’s position regarding diplomatic engagement with Washington: ‘We are not asking for a ceasefire, and we don’t see any reason why we should negotiate with the United States when we negotiated with them twice, and every time, they attacked us in the middle of the negotiations.’
Regarding potential ground invasion scenarios, the foreign minister issued a stark warning: ‘We are waiting for them because we are confident that we can confront them, and that would be a big disaster for them.’ He emphasized Iran’s military preparedness for all eventualities, asserting that the country’s armed forces remain on high alert for any development.
The interview coincided with claims from Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters that its Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy had targeted the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier with drones approximately 340 kilometers beyond Iranian territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman. According to state-run IRIB TV, the carrier and its accompanying destroyers reportedly retreated to over 1,000 kilometers from the region following the engagement.
These developments follow joint American-Israeli strikes on Tehran and several other Iranian cities that began last Saturday, which resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with members of his family, senior military officials, and civilians. Iran has responded with multiple waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israeli positions and US military assets throughout the region.