As Trump mulls Middle East exit, Iran says ‘prepared for 6

Iran is prepared to continue the war for “at least six months”, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with Al Jazeera. United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday signalled that America wanted out of the Middle East conflict soon.

Araghchi made clear that Iran is well stocked and is ready to “defend itself for as long as required”. “At least six months,” he said, when asked directly how long Iran was prepared to sustain the conflict. Trump earlier suggested Washington is considering ending its military involvement in the region within two to three weeks, irrespective of whether a deal was cracked with Tehran or not.

Earlier, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that his country has “the necessary will to end this conflict, provided that essential conditions are met, especially the guarantees required to prevent repetition of the aggression”. He said this during a conversation with European Council president Antonio Costa, news agency AFP reported.

Iran denies accepting US conditions

Araghchi also denied claims that Iran had accepted US terms to end the war. Tehran has not responded to the 15-point American plan, nor has it put forward five conditions of its own to the US side, he said. “We have not given any response to this 15-point American plan so far,” he said. “No condition has been presented to the opposing side from our end.”

“We have many considerations. Our conditions for ending the war are completely clear. We do not accept a ceasefire; we are seeking a complete end to the war, not only in Iran but in the entire region. We also want guarantees so that these conflicts are not repeated and the damages inflicted on the Iranian people are compensated. Our position is completely clear,” Aragchhi told Al Jazeera.

Trump and US government officials have repeatedly claimed negotiations are underway and that Iran is “begging for a deal”. While Iran has put forth its conditions via the social media handles of its embassies and consulates, it’s still unclear if a direct negotiation is underway.

However, Iran has not ruled out indirect negotiation channels via friendly nations.

As Trump mulls Middle East exit, Iran says ‘prepared for 6 months of war’

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Iran denies accepting US conditions

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