“At the very least, the Americans know well how far the Islamic Republic of Iran’s defensive power can extend,” Abbas Araghchi said during a meeting with Algerian elites and media executives in the African country’s capital Algiers on Tuesday.
The top diplomat made it clear that Iran’s commitment to peace should not be mistaken for weakness, asserting, “The Islamic Republic of Iran does not seek war, but if necessary, it knows well how to defend itself.”
He separately underscored, “We doubt the intentions of the US and are not certain they possess the will for a fair and serious negotiation, but we will test them.”
The latter comments concerned the prospect of indirect negotiations that are set to begin between Araghchi and the United States regional envoy Steve Witkoff in the Omani capital Muscat on Saturday with Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi as mediator
