Ready for war and peace: Iran Foreign Minister ahead of nuclear talks with US

Ahead of a fresh round of nuclear negotiations with the United States in Geneva, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is prepared for both war and peace, as tensions rise in the region amid US military build-up.

In an exclusive interview with India Today TV, Araghchi warned that any confrontation could quickly spill beyond Iran and the United States, turning into a "devastating" regional war that would pull in multiple Middle Eastern countries.

The third round of Iran-US negotiations is scheduled for Thursday in Geneva, mediated by Oman. Previous talks established "general guiding principles" for a potential agreement, though major disputes remain over uranium enrichment and missile limits.

The Iranian Minister said Tehran believes a settlement remains within reach. "Based on the understanding from previous times, we will build an agreement, a deal. A fair, balanced, equitable deal is achievable," he said.

He also signalled lingering mistrust from earlier confrontations. "We are not fully convinced that they have real determination to do that," he said. "They did it last time. Negotiated with us and then attacked us."

He added that Iran remains open to compromise if Washington shows genuine intent. "We have concerns but if there is a real determination on their side to come to a conclusion, then we can achieve an agreement."

IRAN REFUSES TO ABANDON ENRICHMENT

A sticking point in talks is Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme. The United States has demanded Tehran abandon uranium enrichment entirely, while Iran insists on retaining limited enrichment for civilian energy.

Araghchi reiterated that position. "Negotiation and diplomacy is the only option," he said. "We are ready to address concerns but we are not ready to give up our right for peaceful use of nuclear tech."

He also rejected claims about Iran expanding its missile capabilities. "We are not developing long range missiles. We have limited range to below 2000kms intentionally," he said. "We don’t want it to be a global threat. We only have (them) to defend ourselves. Our missiles build deterrence."

The Iranian Minister cautioned that escalating tensions and the US military buildup around Iran raise the risk of conflict.

"The US has built a huge military presence around us. If the idea is to threaten us so we capitulate, that is not going to happen," he said.

He warned that any confrontation would spread quickly. "Since the American bases are scattered in the region, unfortunately the whole region would be engaged and involved. It would be a terrible scenario."

Araghchi said Iran’s forces have strengthened since the last conflict. "We have learnt lots of lessons from the last war and so we are more prepared," he said. "There will be no victory for anybody. It would be a devastating war."

IRAN DISPUTES PROTEST DEATH TOLL

The Foreign Minister also pushed back US President Donald Trump claims on death toll during brutal crackdown on anti-government protests. He accused Washington of misinformation on Iran.

"President Trump has always complained about fake news. Now he himself is a victim of fake news," Araghchi said.

He disputed US casualty figures cited in Washington. "Another fake news — number of deaths in Iran. He mentioned 32,000 but we have published the list of names and they are 3,117 victims which is very unfortunate."

The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRNA), however, have reported significantly higher tolls from the January unrest. It reported that more than 7,000 people were killed in the crackdown.

Despite sharp rhetoric, Araghchi indicated space remains for compromise in Geneva. "In Geneva there is every possibility to come to an agreed solution which is fair and balanced," he said.

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