Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Saturday that if the U.S. were to get involved in the Israel-Iran conflict, the result would be “very, very dangerous” for everybody.
“The tweets, interviews by the U.S. President, [it’s] quite clear that he’s talking about the U.S. leadership on these questions [of a potential U.S. involvement],” Araghchi told reporters. “Unfortunately, we have heard that the U.S. may join in this aggression. That would be very unfortunate and I think that would be very, very dangerous for everybody.”
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]Araghchi also claimed that Iran has “many indications” that the U.S. has been involved in Israel’s bombardments of Iran since “day one.”
These remarks come amid uncertainty and debate as to the potential U.S. involvement in the conflict and what that might look like moving forward.
Trump, who has said that the U.S. has not been involved in the Israeli strikes thus far, has given himself two weeks to make the decision as to whether the U.S. will strike on Iran.
“Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” said Trump, in a statement delivered by the White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday. Leavitt went on to add that “if there’s a chance for diplomacy, the President’s always going to grab it, but he’s not afraid to use strength as well.”
The U.S. and Iran had long been engaged in talks, in the hope of reaching a nuclear deal.
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Officials from both countries were set to meet in Oman’s capital of Muscat last weekend for the next round of nuclear discussions. But Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi announced that, in light of the Israel-Iran active conflict, those talks would no longer be going ahead. This came after state television reported that Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei called nuclear talks with the U.S. “meaningless.”
While Trump has called for Iran to return to the table, Iranian officials appear to be reluctant.
“In order for us to come back to diplomacy, the aggression should be stopped,” Araghchi said on Saturday. “I cannot go to negotiation with the United States when our people are under bombardment, under the support of the United States.”
Trump has stated multiple times in the first months of his second term that a deal with Iran would have to include a ban on the nation enriching uranium—something that would allow them to produce nuclear weapons.
He has also called for something more permanent than a cease-fire.
“We’re looking for better than a cease-fire,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on June 17 as he left the G7 summit. “A real end, not a cease-fire. An end… giving up, entirely.”
Trump later doubled down on his view of what Iran should do via a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, writing: “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!”
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However, Trump has delivered cryptic responses when asked exactly if and how the U.S. might get involved in the Middle Eastern conflict.
On Wednesday, when asked if the U.S. is “moving closer” to striking Iranian nuclear facilities, Trump said: “I may do it, I may not do it, nobody knows what I’m going to do… I can tell you this. Iran’s got a lot of trouble. They want to negotiate. I said, ‘Why didn’t you negotiate with me before? All this death and destruction.’”
He later said in the Oval Office: “I like to make the final decision one second before it’s due, because things change, especially with war.”
Meanwhile, Araghchi’s new warning is the latest in a long line of stern words and threats from Iranian officials in regards to a potential U.S. involvement in the current combat.
Read More: Iran’s Supreme Leader Calls Out Trump, Threatens ‘Irreparable Damage’ If U.S. Joins Israeli Conflict
On Wednesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei threatened “irreparable damage” if the U.S. joins the Israeli conflict.
“The Americans should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage,” Khamenei said in a televised address. “The U.S. entering in this matter [war] is 100% to its own detriment. The damage it will suffer will be far greater than any harm that Iran may encounter.”
The Israel-Iran conflict has entered its ninth day and shows no signs of slowing down.
Israel’s initial strikes on Iran, conducted in the early hours of June 13, targeted multiple nuclear and military sites, amid rising concerns of Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the strikes, part of Operation Rising Lion, “would continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.”
Iran followed through on its promise to retaliate, and the rivals have been trading deadly missiles and threats since, with the reported death tolls in both countries rising as a result.
