Iran Will Never Surrender to the United States: Araghchi

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has stated that Iran will never surrender to the power of the United States. He noted that discussions between Tehran and Washington are currently underway, mediated by Qatar and Pakistan. However, he emphasized that for the crisis to be resolved through dialogue, the United States must honor its previous commitments, according to a report by the Mehr News Agency.

In a special interview with the Iraqi media network Al-Akhbariya on Tuesday night (October 20), Araghchi asserted that Iran would not surrender under any circumstances.

According to the Iranian Foreign Minister, the root cause of the conflict between Tehran and Washington lies in the United States' opposition to Iran’s Islamic political system and Iran’s refusal to accept American hegemony. He argued that the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program is merely a pretext for the underlying conflict.

Araghchi stated that the United States is unwilling to accept a situation where its hegemony is challenged and where a nation refuses to bow to its power—which is why the nuclear issue is being brought to the forefront.

The senior Iranian diplomat also expressed deep distrust regarding the negotiations, noting that Iran has engaged in talks with the United States on three previous occasions, yet each time, those discussions were ultimately followed by acts of war against Iran.

He pointed to attacks carried out by the United States and Israel against Iran—one in June of last year, and another between February 28 and April 7 of this year—asserting that negotiations between Tehran and Washington were ongoing during both periods. Furthermore, he alleged that a memorandum of understanding, reached between the two nations last June through the mediation of Pakistan, was subsequently violated by the United States.

"There is no basis for trusting the position of the United States," Araghchi remarked.

Nevertheless, he mentioned that Iran has proposed a seven-day plan to prevent the total collapse of diplomatic efforts. The plan aims to conditionally reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran had previously closed this vital waterway in response to recent U.S.-Israeli attacks and in protest against the United States' repeated failure to uphold its commitments. According to the plan, the United States must first fulfill the commitments it made under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding. Subsequently, an agreement regarding the Strait of Hormuz must be reached. Once the waterway is reopened based on the agreed-upon terms, further discussions can take place with the goal of reaching a final agreement.

Araghchi stated that this plan was proposed to ensure that diplomatic initiatives do not fail completely. However, its success depends on the other side; diplomatic efforts can only be fruitful if the United States adheres to the agreements reached during the discussions.

The Iranian Foreign Minister further added that any future progress hinges on the fulfillment of prior commitments and the attainment of an agreement concerning the Strait of Hormuz.