Key Points
- Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterates Iran never seeks nuclear weapons.
- US President Donald Trump said diplomatic channels with Iran remain open
- Iran warns any US military action would trigger a swift and decisive response.
- Türkiye has opposed any military intervention against Iran.
- Ankara offers to mediate between Tehran and Washington to help de-escalate tensions.
ANKARA: Foreign Minister of Iran, Abbas Araqchi, on Friday said Tehran is ready to resume nuclear talks with the United States but “on an equal footing”.
“If the negotiations are fair and on an equal footing, the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to participate,” he said while addressing a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara.
The Iranian top diplomat added that Tehran has “never sought to obtain nuclear weapons”.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he hoped there would be no need for military action against Iran, as tensions continued to rise between Washington and Tehran following threats from Iranian officials to strike American bases and aircraft carriers in the event of an attack.
Speaking to reporters, Trump indicated that diplomatic channels remain open, even as the United States increases its military footprint in the region.
“The illegitimate interference of outside actors, particularly the conspiracies of the Israeli regime, aim to destabilise the region,” Araghchi said, stressing that “Islamic countries must act in unity.”
He added that regional security is indivisible, saying: “We oppose any action that could destabilise peace and security.”
Ankara opposes any military action against Iran
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, in his remarks, said that Ankara opposes any military action against Iran and supports a peaceful, internal resolution of the country’s issues by its own people.
“We have told our counterparts at every opportunity that we are against a military intervention targeting Iran,” Fidan said on Friday, speaking at a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul.
“We hope that Iran’s internal issues will be resolved peacefully by the Iranian people without any external intervention,” he added.
Türkiye ready to mediate between Iran and US
Meanwhile, the Turkish president’s office said Ankara is ready to mediate between Iran and the United States in an effort to ease rising tensions.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone call with his Iranian counterpart, President Masoud Pezeshkian, on Friday, during which they discussed bilateral relations and escalating military tensions in the region.
According to a statement from the Turkish president’s office, cited by Turkish media, the two leaders reviewed Turkey-Iran ties and addressed the increasing security risks resulting from the recent escalation between Washington and Tehran.
Guterres urges renewed nuclear negotiations
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged renewed nuclear negotiations, calling for restraint to “avoid a crisis that could have devastating consequences in the region.”
An Iranian military spokesman warned that any US military action would provoke a swift and decisive response. Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia said Iran’s retaliation would not be limited, as it was in June last year when US planes and missiles briefly joined Israel’s short air war against Iran.
“Our response would be delivered instantly,” Akraminia told state television, adding that US aircraft carriers have “serious vulnerabilities” and that numerous American bases in the Gulf region are within range of Iran’s medium-range missiles.
He cautioned against what he described as US miscalculation, saying any confrontation would not play out as a rapid operation followed by a quick declaration of success. “It will certainly not unfold the way Trump imagines,” he said.
