TEHRAN, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) — Iran on Wednesday rejected any prospect of talks with the US so long as Washington continues to threaten navy motion, after U.S. President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric and introduced the deployment of extra U.S. naval forces to the Center East.
“There may be no negotiations in an environment of threats,” Iranian International Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi mentioned, in keeping with the state-run IRNA information company. “Conducting diplomacy by way of navy stress is neither efficient nor helpful. If they need negotiations, they need to abandon threats, extreme calls for, and illogical points.”
In a submit on X, Araghchi added that Iran welcomes a brand new deal on its nuclear program however would reply forcefully to any U.S. navy operation.
“Our courageous Armed Forces are ready — with their fingers on the set off,” the Iranian diplomat mentioned.
Trump, in the meantime, urged Tehran to return to negotiations over its nuclear program, warning {that a} “large armada” was transferring towards the area.
“A large armada is heading to Iran,” Trump wrote on his Reality Social platform, including that the pressure can be bigger than one beforehand deployed close to Venezuela and can be able to act if vital.
“Hopefully Iran will rapidly come to the desk and negotiate a good and equitable deal — NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS,” he added. “Time is working out.” Trump warned that any future U.S. strike can be “far worse” than earlier navy actions if no settlement is reached.
America has already dispatched the plane provider USS Abraham Lincoln and accompanying guided-missile destroyers to the area. The U.S. Central Command mentioned Monday that the carrier-led strike group had taken up place in Center Japanese waters, with out disclosing its actual location.
The heightened navy posture comes roughly a month after protests erupted throughout Iran, which Tehran has accused the US and Israel of fomenting. Since then, Trump has despatched combined alerts, alternately calling for negotiations whereas refusing to rule out navy intervention.
Inside Iran, the response to the naval buildup has been defiant. Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Chief Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, mentioned Wednesday that any notion of a “restricted strike” towards Iran was an phantasm. He warned that any U.S. navy motion “from any origin and at any degree” can be thought-about the beginning of a battle and would immediate an “rapid, all-out and unprecedented” response.
In a press release, Iran’s mission to the United Nations additionally warned towards navy motion, citing the price of previous U.S. wars within the area.
“The final time the U.S. blundered into wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, it squandered over 7 trillion U.S. {dollars} and misplaced greater than 7,000 American lives,” the assertion mentioned. “Iran stands prepared for dialogue based mostly on mutual respect and pursuits — but when pushed, it is going to defend itself.”
Iran has additionally sought to rally regional opposition to any U.S. strike. Officers contacted a number of Arab states this week, together with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Trkiye, and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia and the UAE mentioned they’d not enable their airspace for use for an assault on Iran.
Trkiye, a NATO member that shares a protracted border with Iran, urged diplomacy. International Minister Hakan Fidan informed Al Jazeera on Wednesday that Washington ought to restart nuclear talks with Tehran.
“It is flawed to assault Iran. It is flawed to start out one other battle,” Fidan mentioned. He added that Iran was able to resume negotiations on its nuclear program and known as on the US to deal with disputes step-by-step, starting with the nuclear concern.
