Iran Says Ready for War While Keeping Talks Open

In the face of escalating tensions with the US and growing military presence in the area, Iran has declared that it would not give in to threats and is ready for both war and discussions.

In a phone call with his Turkish colleague Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that stopping what he called “threatening behavior” is essential to the success of diplomatic relations with Washington. He cited significant US military presence in the Gulf as a major barrier to substantive negotiations.

President Pezeshkian reiterated that Iran has no opposition to conversations but made it clear that talks cannot take place under coercion or intimidation.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he believes Iran wants to negotiate to avoid military action. Speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump said that a big US naval fleet—which he described as being even larger than the one previously dispatched toward Venezuela—is headed toward Iran.

“A large naval force is on its way to Iran.” I hope we can come to an agreement. It’s good if we do. Trump added that Iran has been given a deadline to come to an agreement on its nuclear program, ballistic missiles, and other matters. “If not, we’ll see what happens,” he said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that no meeting between Iranian and US officials has been planned while in Turkey. He did, however, restate that Iran is prepared for equitable talks and is still in close communication with Turkey regarding the matter.

A spokesman for Iran’s armed forces cautioned that Iranian missiles may reach the US naval fleet and that Iran could also hit US military sites and bases around the region.

Hakan Fidan, the foreign minister of Turkey, warned that further escalation could destabilize the region and asked the United States to avoid from invading Iran under Israeli pressure.

According to a statement from the US Treasury Department, the US has imposed additional penalties on a number of Iranian officials, including Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Istanbul, Araghchi stated that Iran is more vigilant than it was during the previous 12-day conflict and cautioned that any new conflict might go beyond a bilateral conflict, especially if the US is directly involved. He further stated that Iran will not only keep up its military capabilities “as much as necessary,” but will also increase them if needed, according to BBC Persian.

Iran has further escalated the conflict between Tehran and Western powers by declaring that it views the armed forces of some European nations as terrorist organizations. make Google win simple titles