Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi detailed his position on the current war in the Middle East and shared an excerpt of his negotiations with Witkoff during an interview with Mehr News Agency.Araqchi said that the United States entered into negotiations demanding not to enrich uranium before the war, which lasted 12 days. He added: “In response to the illegal and unreasonable demand to stop zero enrichment, we resisted and stood firm. When they saw that they could not achieve what they wanted through negotiations, they started the war.”He said that Iran’s steadfastness at the negotiating table forced the United States to choose the more difficult path. “They were defeated in the 12 Day War.”
Negotiating with Witkoff
Araqchi recounted a conversation with US envoy Steve Witkoff, asking him: “Have you ever been in a meeting where you thought at any moment the entire meeting might be bombed? They stared at me frankly.”
“I said, ‘Have you ever been on a phone call and thought that at any moment while you’re talking you might explode? Have you ever checked on your family over the phone and thought that might be the last time? We’ve been through those things and we’ve stood our ground.’
You have to talk to us differently. “You can’t threaten us and you can’t bribe us.”Araqchi said that the United States offered to build power plants and infrastructure in exchange for concessions. “I said no bribes, no threats. You can only threaten someone who is afraid. When we walk in, fully expecting that anything could happen to us at any moment, you can’t scare me.”Araqchi also referred to the US operation on January 3 that arrested Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and flown him to New York for trial.
“This is not a Venezuela where you take one person and everyone gets scared and backs down.”
Two miscalculations
Araqchi said that the United States made two miscalculations. “The story of the 40 Day War begins here. After the 12 Day War, in my opinion, they made another miscalculation – they did not take into account the resistance. They should have been more prepared.”“The Zionist regime believed that with a short attack they could destroy everything, dismantle it, and then the regime would collapse and the Islamic Republic would surrender. When that did not happen, because they were not prepared for a long war and because the people did not back down and support the regime, they had to stop the war.”