Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi threw “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas for a loop yesterday by insisting that Iran could resist a ground invasion by the US. Asked if he was afraid of a possible U.S. ground invasion, Araghchi struck a defiant tone when interviewed by NBC. “No, we are waiting for them,” he answered, adding, “Because we are confident that we can confront them, and that would be a big disaster for them.”
Araghchi also said that Iran has not asked for a ceasefire, despite U.S. and Israeli strikes across the country. “We didn’t ask for a ceasefire even last time. In previous times, it was Israel who asked for a ceasefire. They asked for an unconditional ceasefire after 12 days that we resisted against their aggression,” he said, referring to the 12-day war last June when the Israeli and U.S. militaries targeted Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The US/Israeli attack while the negotiations were ongoing has soured Iran on any future talks, Araghchi said, adding that he has had no communication with Witkoff or Kushner since last week. “The fact is that we don’t have any positive experience of negotiating with the United States. You know, especially with this administration. We negotiated twice last year and this year, and then in the middle of negotiations, they attacked us,” Araghchi said.
