Tehran: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday described Washington's attempt to reopen dialogue with Tehran as a positive development, while warning that Iran remained prepared for a possible outbreak of war.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Araghchi said, “The American side’s attempt to open the door to dialogue and understanding more broadly is a positive step.”However, he added, “If Washington’s goal in sending this letter is to stir up discord, it would be yet another mistake to add to its previous ones.”
The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Vance had sent the letter to Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei on the instructions of US President Donald Trump, seeking to restart negotiations and prevent further US military strikes.
As the possibility of fresh strikes lurks in Iran, the Minister said, “We do not rule out any possibility regarding the outbreak of war, and we are prepared for all scenarios. We have upgraded our weaponry, addressed our vulnerabilities, and tested new arms; our forces are at the highest level of readiness.”
An American delegation is expected to join Iranian officials for talks in Doha; he said that Qatar has proposed to reduce the implementation period of Iran’s plan to open the strategic waterway, Strait of Hormuz, to two days as compared to five.
Araghchi told Al Jazeera, “The Qatari side proposed shortening the implementation period of the Iranian proposal to five days. We have reached a proposal at this stage that reduces the implementation period to two days.”
“Our conditions include lifting the sanctions imposed following the Islamabad memorandum and reducing US forces in the region. We demand the restoration of oil waivers and the release of all our frozen funds, including those held in Qatar. Reopening the Strait of Hormuz in accordance with our conditions paves the way for the resumption of negotiations with Washington regarding outstanding issues,” he added.
An American delegation is likely to join Iranian officials for direct talks in Doha following a reported breakthrough in indirect negotiations, The Times of Israel reported, citing the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
According to the report, citing sources close to mediation efforts, the two sides have reached an understanding on preliminary measures concerning Iran's nuclear programme, navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and financial incentives for Tehran.
China and Russia are also reportedly expected to serve as guarantors of any agreement.
However, Iran’s armed forces chief of staff, Major-General Ali Abdollahi, as per Al Jazeera, has said that Iran will respond to any attack with “immense force.”
The Iranian armed forces chief’s remark echoed Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei order to confront all the threats “with an immediate, effective, and unrestricted geographical response.”