TEHRAN: Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi has said that diplomacy remains the only effective way to end the conflict, while warning that Iran’s response to any military action would be stronger than before.
Speaking to ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions in Tehran on Sunday, Araghchi sought to present Iran as both defensive and open to negotiation. He said the country remained committed to finding a peaceful settlement, but would respond forcefully if confronted militarily, reported by Mehr News Agency.
“We remain firm and resolute in defending ourselves and advancing diplomacy,” he said. “Should our enemies opt for a military confrontation, they will face a response far more forceful than in the past.”
Araghchi said Iran had demonstrated at last month’s UN General Assembly in New York that it had solutions for both war and peace. He argued that attempts to isolate Tehran had failed and dismissed new US sanctions as ineffective.
“The US has failed both militarily and diplomatically,” he said, adding that sanctions would achieve nothing and that only a diplomatic solution could end what he described as aggression against Iran.
The foreign minister also rejected US claims that Iranian diplomats had been expelled from New York, calling the assertion “absurd.” He said Iran’s delegation had travelled to and from the United States as planned.
Turning to regional relations, Araghchi described recent meetings with Persian Gulf Arab officials as friendly and said Iran was pursuing a new path with its neighbours. He said the countries shared a determination to build stability through their own participation.
On Europe, he urged European governments to reconsider their approach to Tehran. He said the NATO secretary general’s remarks about participation in a war against Iran were a serious matter, and called on European countries to explain reports that thousands of fighter jets had taken off from bases in Europe.
Araghchi appealed to European states to engage in dialogue with Iran rather than being drawn into what he called warmongering by the United States and Israel.
He concluded by expressing hope that Washington would choose “wisdom and rationality,” but repeated that Iran was more prepared than ever should the United States pursue a military course.
