Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that he hoped talks with the United States would resume soon, while reiterating Tehran’s red line and warning against American attacks.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi looks on during a speech at the 17th edition of the Al-Jazeera Forum in Doha, Feb. 7, 2026. (AFP)According to quotes published on his official Telegram channel during an interview with the Al Jazeera network, Aragchi said Iran’s missile program was “never negotiable” at Friday’s talks in Oman.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to raise the ballistic missile program during a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington next week.
Aragchi, meanwhile, warned that Tehran would target US bases in the region if America attacked Iranian soil.
It came as Iran’s chief negotiator Steve Wittkoff and Jared Kushner visited the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, signaling the continued threat of US military action.
The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on social media that two top officials visited the nuclear-powered vessel.
In his own social media post, Witkoff said the aircraft carrier and its strike group are “keeping us safe and supporting President Trump’s message of peace through force”.
‘start’Araghchi said on Saturday that although the talks in Muscat were indirect, “an opportunity was created to shake hands with the American delegation”.
He called the talks “a good start”, but stressed “there is a long way to go to build trust”. He said talks would resume ‘soon’.
Trump on Friday called the talks “very good” and promised another round next week.
Nevertheless, he signed an executive order effective Saturday calling for the “imposition of tariffs” on countries still doing business with Iran.
The United States has announced new sanctions against numerous shipping companies and vessels aimed at curbing Iran’s oil exports.
More than a quarter of Iran’s trade is with China, with $18 billion in imports and $14.5 billion in exports in 2024, according to World Trade Organization data.
‘defense problem’Aragchi told Al Jazeera that nuclear enrichment is Iran’s “inalienable right and must continue”.
“We are ready to reach a convincing agreement on enrichment,” he said.
“Iran’s nuclear case will be resolved only through negotiations.”
He also said that Iran’s missile program was “never negotiable” because it was related to a “defense issue”.
Washington has sought to address Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support for militant groups in the region — issues that Israel has pushed to include in the talks, according to media reports.
Tehran has repeatedly rejected opportunities to negotiate beyond the nuclear issue.
Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Trump on Wednesday to discuss the Iran talks, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Saturday.
Netanyahu “believes that any negotiations must include limitations on ballistic missiles and an end to support for Iran’s axis”, it said, referring to Iran’s allies in the region.
On Saturday, Araghchi criticized what he labeled the “sovereignty doctrine” that allows Israel to expand its military arsenal and pressure other states in the region to disarm.
Friday’s talks were the first since nuclear talks between Iran and the United States collapsed last year following Israel’s unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, which triggered a 12-day war.
During the war, US warplanes bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Aragchi told Al Jazeera that if attacked again, “we will attack their bases in the region”, referring to the United States.
protest tollFriday’s talks between the two arch-enemies came amid a major US military build-up in the region in the wake of Iran’s crackdown on protests that began in late December over economic anger.
Iranian authorities have acknowledged that 3,117 people have been killed in recent protests, releasing a list of 2,986 names on Sunday, most of whom they claim are members of the security forces and innocent bystanders.
International companies have set the toll very high.
The US-based Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA), which has been keeping running numbers since the protests began, says it has killed 6,872 people, mainly protesters, and another 11,280 cases are under investigation. It is more than 50,000 gr The number of departments has also been calculated.
