Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Al Mayadeen:
There is currently no formal negotiation process underway, but messages continue to be exchanged with the Americans.
Two days ago, we sent a message to the United States emphasizing the need to halt Israeli aggression against Beirut.
Our channels of communication with the Americans remain open, though no progress has yet been achieved in the negotiations. Both sides are reviewing the exchanged texts and working toward a final draft.
Any return to negotiations will depend on securing the rights of the Iranian people and bringing an end to the wars against Iran, Lebanon, and the wider region.
The past 40 days have demonstrated Iran’s capabilities to the Americans. Washington believed Iran was a weak country in West Asia, and based on that assessment, they initiated these two wars.
During the 40-day conflict, they mobilized all their resources and capabilities with the aim of defeating Iran within days and forcing it to surrender.
Their first demand, as announced by Trump on the first day of the war, was Iran’s unconditional surrender. That will never happen.
The United States also pursued unrealistic objectives such as regime change, but those goals were not achieved. They expected the people to rise up against the government, yet the people took to the streets in support of the regime.
The Iranian people demonstrated their support for the Islamic Republic and rejected the aggression imposed upon their country.
All of their calculations proved wrong. They sought to eliminate Iran’s missile capabilities, but those capabilities remain intact.
The United States failed to achieve its objectives and was ultimately compelled to seek negotiations.
Iran’s true strength during the war became evident to the Zionist entity, the United States, and the wider world.
When Iran declared that it would respond decisively to any attack on Beirut, they were forced to reconsider their calculations.
If Trump acts rationally, he will not return to war.
We are fully prepared to continue this conflict for as long as necessary and possess the military capabilities to do so.
We have national unity, social cohesion, and the determination to confront any aggression against our country.
Our military position today is stronger than it was before the war began. We have developed new capabilities that did not exist during the conflict, and our military industry has remained highly active.
We are capable of sustaining the war for any length of time, although this does not mean that we seek war.
We have never sought war, nor did we start this one. We responded positively to requests for negotiations.
We seek peace and security, but a peace founded on dignity and honor.
Any aggression against our country will be met firmly, decisively, and with significant capability, as we have already demonstrated in both wars.
The end of this war is not in their hands and never will be.
This war will ultimately conclude in both Iran and Lebanon, and that remains our clear and unwavering position.
