Speaking in an interview with ICANA on Sunday, Araqchi said a recent visit by an Iranian delegation to Qatar, led at the deputy foreign minister level, was aimed at continuing consultations with Qatari mediators, who had also visited Tehran in recent weeks.
He stressed that no arrangements have been made for negotiations with the US during the visit, adding that consultations with mediators over a two-day proposal are still underway but have not yet produced a definitive outcome.
Araqchi said reaching an agreement depends on the responses the other side would give to Iran’s questions. He added that Tehran is making every effort to advance the process and hoped the other side would show rationality and give diplomacy precedence over other options.
The foreign minister also stressed that Iran is prepared for all possible scenarios, saying the directives issued by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei to senior military commanders have clearly demonstrated the Islamic Republic’s resolve.
He noted that Iran’s Armed Forces have been assigned clearly defined missions and have become considerably stronger by drawing on the experience of the two previous wars of aggression imposed by the US and the Zionist regime.
Araqchi reiterated that Iran remains simultaneously prepared for both defense and diplomacy, emphasizing that the course Washington chooses would depend on its own rationality.