Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Iran has thoroughly reviewed a message sent by US Vice President JD Vance, stressing, however, that there is no need to meet with the Americans at present.
Speaking to Al Jazeera on Saturday, Araghchi said Vance’s letter had been discussed in high-level meetings, but dismissed media reports about a possible meeting with US officials as mere speculation.
He described Washington’s attempt to open a broader path for dialogue and understanding as a “positive step,” but warned that the US would commit a new error — adding to its past mistakes — if the message’s objective was to sow discord or create divisions.
“We see no need to meet with the Americans at present. Our conditions are clear, and mediators are continuing their consultations regarding them,” the top diplomat said.
Araghchi told Al Jazeera that an Iranian delegation had traveled to Doha and that his aide was currently in Qatar to continue consultations, emphasizing that a decision on whether to hold direct or indirect talks with the US would depend solely on Washington meeting Tehran’s conditions.
He expressed appreciation for the ongoing efforts and outreach by Qatar and Pakistan regarding Tehran’s conditions — including lifting sanctions, unfreezing blocked assets, reducing the US military presence in the region, and ending the war across all fronts, including in Lebanon.
Araghchi said Iran’s proposal for reopening the Strait of Hormuz was the only plan currently on the table, though mediators had put forward proposals on the nuclear issue that Tehran was reviewing within the framework of the second phase of negotiations.
On the Strait of Hormuz plan, Araghchi clarified that Iran sought recognition for a new shipping route — established in cooperation with Oman — within the Strait, alongside the closure of other routes.
Elsewhere in the interview, the foreign minister said Tehran did not rule out the outbreak of a new war, adding that Iran remained prepared for all scenarios. He noted that the country had upgraded its weaponry, tested new armaments, and that its Armed Forces were at the highest level of combat readiness.
Vance’s letter was handed to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, through Qatari mediators on Sunday. The contents of the letter have not been made public, but multiple US media outlets have reported that it proposed a “framework” for direct negotiations.
Source: IRNA