Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi on 'attack on Turkey' claims: We have no reason

In an interview with the US press, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi evaluated the US-Israeli attacks on Iran and the regional tension. Speaking about the administrative process in the country following the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Araghchi said, "The system continues to function. We lost our leader, but according to the Constitution, the Interim Leadership Council has now taken responsibility. The President, the cabinet, and other officials are at their posts. The Assembly of Experts, elected by the people, will determine the new leader. The constitutional process is ongoing, but it may take some time because the country is in a state of war. The final decision belongs to the Assembly of Experts."

"Attacking an unarmed ship is a war crime"

Addressing the attack by the US on the Iranian Navy's IRIS Dena frigate in the Indian Ocean, Araghchi said, "Their goal was not war. They had gone there for an exercise organized by the Indian Navy. There were many guests, and they were participating in a parade. Everything was a peaceful training process, and they had gone on this mission before the war started. The ship was unarmed. Attacking an unarmed training ship full of sailors is a war crime. Unfortunately, the US has set a dangerous precedent in terms of international law. Targeting an unarmed ship without any justification and killing many sailors sets a serious precedent in terms of international maritime law."

"The US could not achieve a quick victory"

Stating that the US has not achieved the victory it wanted in the war, Araghchi said, "On the sixth day of the war, it is now clearly seen that the US could not achieve its main goal of a quick and total victory. They are trying to legitimize their attacks, but they have not been able to put forward an effective justification, and now they are talking about a Plan B. Their goal was regime change and a quick victory, but they failed."

Stating that Iran's military capacity continues, Araghchi said, "The system is working. Commanders have been appointed to their posts, and the leader will soon be elected in accordance with the Constitution. Yes, we were targeted, but we managed to hit many targets in Israel and at US bases. Our missiles are still active and working accurately. They could not prevent our missile launches against Israel and other targets. This is our victory, and we have shown that we can resist."

"We did not target our neighbors"

Rejecting the claims that Iran attacked some countries in the region, Araghchi said, "We did not attack our neighbors. We did not target Muslim countries. Our targets were only US bases and facilities. Unfortunately, these are located on the territory of some neighboring countries. I am in contact with the foreign ministers of these countries, and I have explained to them that Iran did not target them. We have no problems with them."

"We have no reason to attack Turkey"

Rejecting the claims regarding the Iranian missile that allegedly entered Turkey's airspace, Araghchi said, "Our armed forces have denied the claim that any missile was launched at Turkey or Azerbaijan. NATO says this missile was launched by Iran, but we have no reason to attack Turkey. Turkey is a good neighbor of ours. Likewise, there is no reason to send drones to Azerbaijan."

Stating that the incident is being investigated, Araghchi said, "We are currently examining what happened. Perhaps it came from somewhere else, or there may have been a technical issue. However, we have no intention of attacking Turkey, Azerbaijan, or our other neighbors. On the other hand, we will continue to target US bases and facilities in the region wherever they may be."

"Our war is with the US"

Rejecting the claims that Iran's attacks in the region are intended to pressure the US, Araghchi said, "Our war is with the US. The US attacks us every day and every hour, and we are defending ourselves. How can we defend ourselves when we do not have access to US territory? We can target American bases in the region. This is a natural consequence of this war."

"We will not request a ceasefire"

Stating that Iran will continue its resistance against the attacks, Araghchi said, "We will defend ourselves as long as necessary. We are the victim of the attack, and what we are doing is legitimate self-defense. Our honor and independence are more important than anything else, and we will pay any price to protect our sovereignty, territorial integrity, and honor."

Responding to the question of whether they would request a ceasefire, Araghchi said, "We see no reason to negotiate with the US. We have negotiated twice before, but each time they attacked us while the talks were ongoing. Therefore, we have neither a request for a ceasefire nor a request for negotiations with the US. We have never sent them any messages either. We did not request a ceasefire in the past either. After 12 days of resistance, it was Israel that wanted an unconditional ceasefire. In the early days of the war, they wanted us to surrender, but we continued to defend ourselves, responded with missiles, and forced the enemy to ask for an unconditional ceasefire. The same process will repeat itself."

"Our nuclear stockpiles are in a safe place"

Evaluating Iran's nuclear program, Araghchi said, "The principle that Iran will not develop nuclear weapons is correct. In accordance with our security doctrine and the leader's fatwa, Iran will never pursue nuclear weapons. Iran is a country committed to the NPT and has a peaceful nuclear program. Our nuclear stockpiles are in safe places and under supervision. If an agreement is reached, a detailed inspection can be carried out."

"A ground operation would be a disaster for the US"

Speaking about a possible US ground operation, Araghchi said, "We are ready for every scenario, even a ground attack. If US ground troops enter, we are confident that we can deal with them, and it will be a great disaster for them. We have made even more preparations for this war than the previous one, and we have significantly increased the quality of our missiles."