Iran is open to US talks but won’t be dictated to and won’t negotiate on missiles, foreign minister says
By Billy Stockwell, CNN
(CNN) — Iran is ready to participate in “fair and just” nuclear talks with the United States amid rising tensions between the two nations, but will not be dictated to, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday.
“We are under no circumstances willing to accept dictation or imposition,” Araghchi said at a press conference during a visit to Istanbul alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. “Nevertheless, Iran is ready to participate in any diplomatic process that is meaningful, logical and fair.”
It is not clear when or in what format the potential talks could occur. Araghchi said no meeting with the US has been arranged while cautioning that such talks cannot be “conducted under threat.”
He also ruled out the possibility of Tehran engaging in negotiations about what he called Iran’s “defensive capabilities,” as well as its missile program. “I believe no country is prepared to compromise on its own security or its national defense,” he said.
The announcement follows renewed threats from Washington, with US President Donald Trump urging Iran on Wednesday to sign what he called an “equitable” nuclear deal or face another potential US military strike.
Trump said Thursday he’s been having conversations with Iranian leaders and is planning on further discussions.
“I have had and I am planning on it,” he said when asked about the status of his conversations with Tehran. “We have a lot of very big, very powerful ships sailing to Iran right now, and it would be great if we didn’t have to use them.”
Trump did not say to whom he spoke, but he did describe the message he conveyed. “I told them two things,” Trump said. “Number one, no nuclear. And number two, stop killing protesters.”
Thousands of demonstrators were killed during recent anti-government protests in Iran after a heavy clampdown by the Iranian regime.
Araghchi said Friday that Iran is “ready to re-enter the nuclear negotiations” while reiterating Tehran’s long-standing position that his country’s nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
“The necessary preliminaries must first be established – concerning the format, the venue and the agenda of the discussions,” he added.
Turkey ready to help de-escalate
During Araghchi’s trip to Istanbul, Turkey said it was ready to “assume a facilitating role” between Iran and the US to help de-escalate tensions.
The offer was made in a call between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, the Turkish presidency said.
“The leaders discussed Turkey-Iran bilateral relations and the escalating military tensions in the region,” the Turkish presidency said in a statement Friday.
On arrival to Istanbul, Araghchi accepted that regional issues are “extremely serious at the moment and we are facing major challenges.”
“The goals stated by the United States and others make it necessary for us to hold closer consultations, review regional developments and coordinate our positions,” Araghchi told reporters.
Moscow watching closely
Meanwhile in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, the Kremlin said on Friday.
Russian officials did not immediately disclose the topics that were discussed at the previously unannounced meeting. It comes after Putin on Thursday said Moscow was carefully following the situation around Iran.
“Of course, we are closely watching what is happening on the Iranian track right now,” Russian state news agency TASS cited Putin as saying.
CNN’s Gul Tuysuz, Kevin Liptak and Caitlin Danaher contributed reporting.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
