Araghchi says no US talks under threats, Tehran ready for war

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday that he held talks with US special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff as Ankara steps up efforts to prevent a new conflict in the region, including a possible war involving Iran.

Fidan said Turkey opposed any attack on Iran and believed dialogue was the only viable path forward.

“Any attack is something that we cannot accept,” Fidan said at a joint news conference. “We believe the only correct path is to work on dialogue, focusing on solutions.”

He said Turkey’s foreign policy priority was to avoid new wars and regional clashes, warning that continued conflict fuels terrorism, mass migration, poverty and instability.

Fidan said he had been in constant contact with Iranian officials and had discussed possible negotiation points with Tehran, adding that Ankara also remained engaged with Washington.

“Yesterday I had long talks with Steve Witkoff,” Fidan said, adding that Turkey would continue contacts with the United States as discussions evolve.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that US threats against Iran contradicted Washington’s stated desire for negotiations, adding that military action would not produce results.

“There is a contradiction in the attitude and stance of the USA,” Araghchi said at a joint news conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

“A military attack or military intervention is not an alternative,” he said, referring to US action last June. “They did this and it did not reach any result.”

“While they are threatening us, they want to continue negotiations,” Araghchi said, adding that repeating military pressure would lead to the same outcome.

He said the US had sought negotiations through intermediaries but warned talks could not begin under pressure.

“You do not start negotiations with threats,” Araghchi said. “First of all, they should leave aside their threats.”

He added that Iran remained open to diplomacy. “If they want to negotiate with a fair and equitable understanding, the Islamic Republic of Iran has never left diplomacy aside, and it is not going to do so,” he said.

Iran’s army said on Friday it stood “powerfully” alongside the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to confront terrorism, after the European Union designated the Guards as a terrorist organization.

In a statement, the army accused European countries of backing Iraq during the 1980–1988 war, saying they provided “chemical weapons and advanced military equipment” to Saddam Hussein’s forces and later gave refuge to militant groups.

“Today, to please the United States and the Zionist regime, they have placed the largest anti-terror organization in the region and the world on a fabricated and self-made terrorist list,” the army said.

It added that Iran’s armed forces “will continue to stand against terrorism supported by the West.”

An Iranian lawmaker warned on Friday that Iran could target US interests beyond American military bases, responding to the presence of US naval forces in the region.

“If the United States and Donald Trump are worried about the lives of their soldiers, they should withdraw their forces from the region,” said Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for parliament’s national security commission, according to state media.

Rezaei said Iran’s objectives were “not limited to US bases” and that “all US interests are within range,” adding that Iran’s armed forces had the ability to target American interests, assets and troops.

President Tayyip Erdogan told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday that Turkey was ready to play a facilitator role between Iran and the US to help ease tensions, the Turkish presidency said.

“President Erdogan emphasised that Turkey was ready to take up a facilitator role between Iran and the United States to ease tensions and resolve issues,” the presidency said in a statement on X.

It added that Erdogan would also receive Iran’s foreign minister during his visit to Turkey for talks with his Turkish counterpart.