Iran FM says ‘ready for war and dialogue’ Trump ‘very strong options’ threat over protest killings
By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday alleged that the nationwide anti-government protests turned “violent and bloody” to give the US an excuse to intervene militarily, media reported.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed Tehran’s readiness for both war and dialogue hours after US President Donald Trump said that he was weighing “some very strong options” against Iran after raging anti-government protests.
He briefed foreign diplomats in Tehran, Araghchi admitted that the violence spiked over the weekend but also asserted that the situation has now been brought under “total control”.
Araghchi claimed that Trump’s warning motivated “terrorists” to infiltrate the protests and target security forces in an attempt to invite foreign intervention.
“We are ready for war but also for dialogue,” he declared.
He made remarks shortly after US President Donald Trump said that he is considering “some very strong options” against Iran.
Trump spoke to reporters on board Air Force One late on Sunday, Trump said, “We’re looking at it very seriously. The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options. We’ll make a determination.”
He also claimed that the Iranian leadership has reached out to him seeking to negotiate and that a meeting is being set up. However, he added that the US may have to act before a meeting.
Iranian FM Araghchi defended the crackdown on protesters, drawn a parallel to the Minneapolis woman’s shooting by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent last week.
“Just the other day, an innocent young woman in the United States an American citizen and mother of three was executed by ICE at point-blank range. The U.S. Administration labeled her a “domestic terrorist” while President Trump called it a matter of self-defence; the Department of Homeland Security threatened Americans that “if you lay a finger on a federal officer or agent, you will face the full extent of the law,” Araghchi said.
He continued, “Here in Iran, police officers are being executed by actual terrorists overseen by what Mr. Pompeo has openly called Mossad agents. And we have the receipts. Does this look like a “protest” for FREEDOM? Or the exact kind of scenes that the U.S. Administration would NEVER tolerate within its own borders?”
Iran has been facing intense anti-government protests since December 28 last year.
The protests that began as a demonstration by a group of traders against the falling Iranian currency and rising inflation have now spiraled into a mass uprising against the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei-led regime.
The protests have spread to at least 585 locations across the country, in 186 cities, spanning all 31 provinces.
According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency at least 544 protesters have been killed, and scores of others have been injured in clashes with security forces during the anti-government protests.
