Iran’s foreign minister said the missile program is not a subject of negotiations as President Trump has said he will send more ships to the region.
Iran’s foreign minister said the country was ready to hold “fair and impartial” talks with the United States amid rising tensions, as US President Donald Trump did not rule out military action against Iran.
“Iran has no problem with negotiations, but negotiations will not take place under the shadow of threats,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters during a visit to Turkiye on Friday.
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“We should also state clearly that Iran’s defense and missile capabilities, as well as Iranian missiles, are in no way a subject of negotiation,” Araghchi said at a press conference alongside Turkey’s Hakan Fidan.
“The safety of the Iranian people is not someone else’s concern, and we will maintain and expand our defense capabilities to the extent necessary to protect the country.”
Tensions between Tehran and the United States have been rising for weeks, with President Trump repeatedly threatening to attack Iran over its recent crackdown on anti-government protests and push to reduce Iran’s nuclear program.
Earlier this week, the US president said a “massive fleet” led by the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln was moving toward Iran and that he was prepared to use “violence if necessary” if Iranian leaders did not agree to negotiate a nuclear deal.
President Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday that his administration was sending “more ships” to Iran.
“And hopefully we can get an agreement,” he said. “If we reach an agreement, that’s good. If we don’t, we’ll see what happens.”
Reporting from Washington, D.C., Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett noted that President Trump gave Iran a deadline, but said “only Iran knows what that deadline is.”
“So he’s making the world wait and trying to figure out what his next step will be,” Halkett said.
President Trump unilaterally withdrew from the previous agreement in 2018, in which Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions, and has been pressuring Iran to halt all uranium enrichment.
Washington has accused Tehran of seeking nuclear weapons, a claim that Iranian leaders have repeatedly denied.
Amid recent tensions, Tehran officials have repeatedly said they are open to negotiations, but only if President Trump ends his military threats against the country.
They also stressed their readiness to respond if Iranian forces are attacked.
Meanwhile, regional allies including Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia continue diplomatic efforts to prevent a military confrontation between Washington and Tehran.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian early Friday that Ankara is ready to act as a “mediator” between the two countries.
Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan also held lengthy discussions on the issue with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff on Thursday and said he would maintain dialogue with the US.
Speaking alongside Araghchi on Friday, Fidan said nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran should resume, paving the way for the lifting of sanctions against Iran.
He said he would “bring the parties to the negotiating table” to resolve issues “one by one”.
