Araghchi: "We are open to negotiations and ready for war"

Speaking to Iranian journalists on Monday, Araghchi described one of the main objectives of his visit to New York for the 81st UN General Assembly: to inform the world about Iran’s position on the war, particularly regarding the Strait of Hormuz.

“There are conditions outlined by the Leader (Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, editor’s note), and those conditions must be implemented in order for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened,” he said.

He said it was Iran’s mission to convey these conditions to the U.S. side as well as to all other countries and the international community, so that it would be clear that Iran has a plan and that its conditions are entirely fair and logical.

“If the Americans claim that they are seeking an agreement or a peaceful solution, we have presented that solution,” he said.

Araghchi said it is now clear to everyone that Iran, despite all the oppression it has endured and the wars that have been imposed upon it, has a position, a rationale and a solution in the diplomatic arena.

“Just as we are ready for war, we are also ready for diplomacy,” he said, adding that this had greatly enhanced Iran’s standing and changed the way countries view it, demonstrating that it is the United States, not Iran, that wants war.

“Our plan, which has become known as the seven-point plan, was conveyed to the Americans through a Qatari mediator,” Araghchi said. “Despite what the U.S. president said, I said that we are waiting for an official American response through the mediator.”

Araghchi said the Qatari mediator met with Iran again on Monday, and that discussions were held on ideas for how to meet Iran’s conditions and how to achieve them.

“They had some ideas, and we held a discussion that will be conveyed to the American side again. Then the final response from the American side will be relayed to us, which I hope will happen by Tuesday,” he said.

“We have had intense and busy days, but I think the results have been very good. We presented Iran on the international stage as a country present with confidence, strength and pride, defending its interests.”

Asked whether he would remain in New York until he received the U.S. response, or travel to Tehran first, Araghchi said he would leave for Tehran within a few hours and that whenever the Qataris received a response, they would know how to convey it to the Iranian side.

He said that contacts and messages exchanged by Qatari and Pakistani mediators had always existed, but that with the plan presented by Iran, they had taken on a more serious form.

“If there is a response, the Qataris will convey it to us, and a decision will be made in Tehran on that basis. But I will leave New York within a few hours.”