"Honor your signature": Araghchi refutes to discuss final deal with US if "threats continue"
Tehran, July 7
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday firmly refused to negotiate the final deal with Washington if the "threats continue" after US President Donald Trump threatened to "finish the job" if a deal is not reached with Tehran.
In a post on X, Araghchi shared visuals from the grand funeral procession of slain former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and affirmed that the Iranian forces and the public are afraid of the threats.
"Millions of proud Iranians rallied in unity to honor Grand Ayatollah Khamenei and his legacy. Neither them nor our Brave Armed Forces are moved by any threats," he wrote.
Citing paragraph 13 of the 14 point Memorandum of Understanding signed between Iran and US, Araghchi denied to commence negotiations on the final deal and called for Washington to "honor your signature."
"Para 13 of the MoU is clear: Negotiations on final Deal will not commence if threats continue Honor your signature," Araghchi stated.
Earlier on Monday (local time). US President Donald Trump said the United States would either reach a deal with Iran or "finish the job", while asserting that Washington has the capability to cripple Tehran's critical infrastructure if it chooses to do so.
Speaking on Iran, Trump said, "We are going to win one way or the other. We're either going to make a deal, or we're going to finish the job."He added that he preferred a negotiated settlement over military action.
"I'd rather make a deal because I don't want to affect 91 million people. We can knock down their bridges in one hour. We can knock out their energy supply, all of those big plants that they've built, big, beautiful modern plants. They had a lot of money. They don't have any money now. We haven't given them any money," Trump said.
The US President further claimed that the US could destroy Iran's electricity and power generation facilities within hours."But we can knock out their electricity and power-generating plants in, I would say, a small part of an afternoon. Every plant will be gone. And they know that," he said.
Trump's latest remarks come days after he claimed that Washington had the capability to eliminate Iran's surviving leadership in "one shot" if it wanted to, referring to senior Iranian officials who gathered during the week-long state funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in joint US-Israeli air strikes on February 28.
In an interview with Axios, Trump had said, "They are all there. One shot [and we can take them all out], but we are not going to do that because then we would have nobody to negotiate with," indicating that the US intended to keep diplomatic channels with Tehran open despite its military capabilities.
Iran had strongly condemned Trump's remarks. In a post on X, the Iranian Embassy in Armenia criticised both Trump and the US, saying the US would never understand the grief surrounding Khamenei's death because it "neither has a civilisation, history, nor honour."
Meanwhile, the body of Iran's former supreme leader has arrived in Qom, with state television reporting that it was transported by helicopter, according to Al Jazeera.
— ANI
Reader Comments
I get that Araghchi is standing his ground, but this "honour your signature" argument cuts both ways. Iran agreed to the JCPOA and then walked away from key commitments after the US pulled out. Trust is a two-way street. That said, Trump's rhetoric is over the top. Nobody wins with more war in the Middle East.
Typical US double standards. They sign deals, then threaten to destroy you when they don't get their way. Trump openly talking about bombing civilian infrastructure like power plants in 'an afternoon' is criminal. India should stay out of this mess and focus on our own development. 🙏
While I condemn any threats of war, I do think Iran is playing a dangerous game here. The MoU paragraph 13 is about threats *continuing*—but Trump is clearly trying to negotiate, albeit in his usual crude manner. Refusing to even talk might push things towards conflict. Diplomacy needs to cool tempers, not provoke. They both need to step back.
From an Indian perspective, the US-Iran tension is scary because it directly impacts oil prices and regional stability. We have a huge diaspora in the Gulf and billions in trade. Both sides need to de-escalate. The US should stop the macho threats, and Iran should at least sit at the table. The world cannot afford another war.
The audacity of Trump saying "I don't want to affect 91 million people" while openly planning to destroy their entire electricity grid in an afternoon!
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.