Seyed Abbas Araghchi
Iranian Foreign Minister
As Iranians grieve their loved ones and rebuild what has been destroyed, another threat looms: the final failure of diplomacy. Unlike the restraint Iran showed in June 2025, our powerful armed forces have no qualms about firing back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack.
This isn’t a threat, but a reality I feel I need to convey explicitly, because as a diplomat and a veteran, I abhor war. An all-out confrontation will certainly be ferocious and drag on far, far longer than the fantasy timelines that Israel and its proxies are trying to peddle to the White House. It will certainly engulf the wider region and have an impact on ordinary people around the globe. I will do anything in my power to prevent that scenario from materializing.
Mr. Trump perceives himself as a deal maker. What he has so far brought to our region, however, has only been war. Look at Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran and even Qatar, and count how many have lost their lives during his 12 months in office. It is time to change tack.
With Iran, Mr. Trump tried diplomacy first. On at least three occasions, we were very close to a middle-way solution during negotiations in Oman last May. Ultimately it didn’t pan out. Why? Because of Israel’s proxies in the White House, who couldn’t possibly care less about American interests. We also missed an excellent opportunity to resume diplomacy in New York last September, simply because of miscalculation on the U.S. side in urging the Europeans to invoke the so-called snapback provision of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, reimposing United Nations sanctions against Iran.
Iran will always choose peace over war. We have always been ready for real and serious negotiations to achieve a fair and balanced deal, and we have proved it time and again in recent years. Mindful of what we experienced in June and September 2025, we are unconvinced that the U.S. shares that mindset.
Iran’s message to President Trump is clear: The U.S. has tried every conceivable hostile act against Iran, from sanctions and cyber assaults to outright military attack—and, most recently, it clearly fanned a major terrorist operation—all of which failed. It is time to think differently. Try respect, which will allow us to advance farther than one may believe.