“We are fully prepared for the war to be resumed. We stand firm in the face of any new aggression, even if it comes to a doomsday war,” Araghchi told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday. “At the same time, we stand ready for diplomacy. It is up to President Trump to choose.”
Araghchi told moderator Kristen Welker on Sunday that despite Trump’s public comments, the rejection had still not been officially communicated to Iran via mediators.
He reaffirmed that Iran was ready to reopen the strait as part of an agreement to end the conflict, adding that in return, “we want our monies, our assets, which are illegally frozen, to be released. We want to be able to sell our oil.”
Araghchi said the conditions were “not new” and were things the U.S. has already committed itself to previously, referring to the Pakistani-mediated Islamabad memorandum of understanding, NBC report added.
“If you ask us, there is no reason why we should go back to diplomacy,” Araghchi said. “But I am still trying diplomacy because I think we shouldn’t miss any chance for peace.”
“We don’t care about U.S. midterm elections,” the Iranian official added. “We care about our national interests.”
MNA
