Tehran – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi questioned whether the United States, having demonstrated its ability to halt a war, can now secure lasting peace. Posting on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, Araqchi wrote: “Having initiated war against Iran, Netanyahu quickly had to beg President Trump to bail him out. The U.S. showed it can end war. But can it win peace?”
Araqchi’s comments come in the wake of a shifting diplomatic landscape and echo points made in his recent op-ed published by the Financial Times. His statement underscores skepticism toward the intentions behind U.S. overtures for renewed negotiations with Tehran.
On the same day, Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh, who also heads the Institute for Political and International Studies, confirmed that Washington had sent messages indicating readiness for negotiations. However, he stressed that the U.S. must provide firm assurances that it will not exploit the dialogue process.
“The U.S. must demonstrate that it seeks genuine diplomacy and not another tactic to extract concessions,” Khatibzadeh said, adding that if the U.S. failed to achieve its objectives through war, it must now commit to honest negotiations.
The comments reflect Tehran’s continued rejection of accusations that it is pursuing a nuclear weapon, pointing instead to confirmations from both U.S. intelligence and the International Atomic Energy Agency that no such diversion has occurred. Iran insists any talks must be based on mutual respect and verifiable guarantees.
