TEHRAN: Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said on Tuesday that negotiations with the United States were no longer under consideration as the conflict between the two sides entered its 11th day.
In an interview with PBS News, Araghchi stated that Tehran had no plans to resume dialogue with Washington, citing what he described as a “very bitter experience” from previous negotiations.
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The current conflict began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, an attack that reportedly killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and ignited a wider regional confrontation.
The strikes occurred just two days before scheduled talks between Washington and Tehran, which were to follow three earlier rounds of negotiations. Mediators from Oman had earlier indicated that the discussions were making “significant progress.”
In response to the attacks, Iran has launched drone and missile strikes targeting Israeli positions and U.S. interests across the Middle East.
The escalating conflict has also disrupted shipping in the vital Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy corridor through which nearly 20 percent of the world’s crude oil normally passes. Since the outbreak of hostilities, Iranian forces have repeatedly targeted oil tankers navigating the waterway.
Araghchi defended Iran’s actions, describing them as a legitimate act of self-defense.
“We are ready and have long been prepared to continue missile strikes for as long as necessary,” he said, emphasizing that Tehran would maintain its military response if the conflict persists.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said several countries had contacted Tehran in an effort to de-escalate the situation.
According to him, China, Russia, France, and other regional states have been communicating with Iran about possible steps to end the fighting or arrange a ceasefire.
French President Emmanuel Macron also said that France and its partners were preparing a “defensive” mission aimed at restoring safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Gharibabadi stressed that Iran did not initiate the conflict, stating that the country was responding to what it considers aggression and was acting to defend itself.
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