Writing in The Guardian, Araghchi said that despite Israel’s attempts to derail diplomacy, Iran remains open to an agreement grounded in “mutual respect and mutual interest.” He suggested that Trump’s Republican base is more inclined toward securing a deal than pursuing “unnecessary wars.”
The article was published a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Trump in Florida, where discussions included Israel’s calls for fresh military action against Iran. Speaking beside Netanyahu, Trump warned that he could order more strikes if Iran attempted to “build up” the facilities damaged in the June aggression.
The Iranian foreign minister urged Trump to look beyond Israeli warnings and recognize growing regional support for renewed diplomacy. “The US administration now faces a dilemma: it can continue writing blank cheques for Israel with American taxpayer dollars and credibility, or be part of a tectonic change for the better,” he wrote.
He noted that Iran is prepared to negotiate, provided it is not forced into capitulation, and insisted that dialogue could avert an unnecessary crisis. He revealed that “mutual friends of Iran and the US” in the region had conveyed their willingness to Tehran to facilitate talks and guarantee the implementation of any agreement.
“The shifts in our region can enable implementation of understandings in a whole new way. For those willing to go where no one has gone before, there is a brief window of opportunity. Fortune favours the brave, and it takes a lot more guts to break an evil cycle than to simply perpetuate it,” Araghchi wrote.
IRNA