Iran security chief warns Europe after EU action on Guards

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that Iran had no plans for talks with US officials under current conditions, repeating that Tehran would not negotiate under threats or preconditions, while warning that Iran was ready for conflict if attacked.

“We do not have any plan or program for talks with American officials,” Araghchi said at a joint news conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. He added that Iran was ready only for “just, fair and equitable negotiations,” but said the conditions for such talks had not been met.

“Negotiation cannot be dictated or have preconditions,” Araghchi said. “If one party is dictating its requests, that stops being a negotiation.”

He said Iran was consulting closely with regional partners to seek a common framework for talks, adding: “We will continue to talk with all our friends in the region.”

Araghchi also issued a warning over US threats. “Just like we are ready for negotiations, we are also ready for warfare,” he said. “And we are even more ready compared with their attacks in June.”

“If anybody would like to attack our country, we will have a strong response,” he said, adding that direct US intervention would “totally change the status quo” and could push the conflict beyond a bilateral war.

He said Iran would never accept talks under pressure. “The Islamic Republic of Iran is never going to sit at a negotiation table with threats,” he said.

Araghchi also ruled out any discussion of Iran’s military capabilities. “Iran’s missiles and defense systems have never been and will never be the subject of any negotiation,” he said, adding that Iran would continue to strengthen its defenses.

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.