Iran's Foreign Minister: "Prepared for both diplomacy and war," but distrusts US

In an exclusive interview with Russia Today in Tehran on Tuesday, Araghchi said, "There is no solution but a diplomatic solution," arguing that military strikes and threats cannot halt a country's technological progress.

He added that recent events have deepened Tehran's mistrust of Washington.

"We still do not have full trust in Americans", Araghchi said in the RT interview. "We were in the middle of negotiations last June when they decided to attack us. That was a very bad experience for us."

The foreign minister reiterated that Iran's uranium enrichment programme is peaceful and based on what he described as the country's sovereign rights.

According to Araghchi, enrichment levels are determined by civilian requirements. He noted that nuclear power plants typically require fuel enriched below 5 per cent, while the Tehran Research Reactor, which was constructed before the 1979 revolution, uses 20 per cent enriched fuel to produce medical isotopes for cancer treatment.

"The figures are not important. What matters is the peaceful nature of enrichment," he said, adding that Iran is ready to provide assurances that it will not pursue nuclear weapons. Such guarantees, he said, are "doable and achievable" if there is goodwill from both sides.

However, Araghchi firmly ruled out negotiations over Iran's ballistic missile programme or its regional alliances. "We only negotiate about our nuclear program with the US," he said, calling other demands "absolutely" off the table.

At the same time, he underlined Iran's readiness to defend itself if talks fail. "We are prepared for a diplomatic solution as much as we are prepared to defend ourselves against any new aggression," Araghchi said, claiming that Iran's military readiness has improved both "quantity-wise and quality-wise" since last year's Israeli-US bombing.

Araghchi was also critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, describing him as a "warmonger" seeking to draw Washington into a broader conflict. He warned that if Iran were attacked again, it would target US assets and bases in the region.

Despite heightened tensions, Araghchi indicated that recent exchanges with US interlocutors indicated a shared interest in avoiding war. "If they are serious, we are serious too," he said, adding that Washington must ensure negotiations are not accompanied by military action.

"We have learned our lessons on war and diplomacy," he added in the RT interview, "Now we are prepared for both."

Meanwhile, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with two special US envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, according to the Prime Minister of Israel's official X handle.

In a post X, he said on Wednesday, "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with the special envoys of the US President, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The PM and envoys Witkoff and Kushner discussed regional issues, and they provided an update on the first round of negotiations they held with Iran last Friday."

President Donald Trump said he believes Iran wants a deal on its nuclear program and that negotiations have been promising, though he warned of "very steep consequences" if Iran fails to agree and continues weapons development.

Trump is considering military pressure, including additional carrier deployments, while pushing for a deal that prevents nuclear weapons and limits missiles; however, recently, he warned US ships to "stay as far as possible from Iranian waters."

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu wants talks broadened to include Iran's missiles and regional proxies, urging Trump to demand more from Tehran.

- ANI