Iran's Larijani Dismisses US Negotiation Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Tehran, March 2 (NationPress) Ali Larijani, the Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, unequivocally rejected claims suggesting that Tehran is interested in initiating discussions with the United States, as tensions in the Middle East intensify.
On social media platform X, Larijani asserted, "We will not engage in negotiations with the United States."
This statement follows an article from The Wall Street Journal indicating that Larijani was looking to rekindle diplomatic relations with the US through intermediaries from Oman.
On the previous day, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the US airstrikes that resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, labeling them as unlawful aggression and emphasizing that Tehran would retaliate without hesitation.
In an interview with ABC News, Araghchi completely dismissed Washington's rationale.
"What the United States is doing constitutes an act of aggression. Our actions are rooted in self-defense," he stated.
The US and Israel conducted coordinated airstrikes on Iran on February 28, coinciding with ongoing nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran. This military operation led to the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In retaliation, Iran initiated a series of missile strikes across various Middle Eastern countries, targeting US military installations.
The United States, along with six Gulf nations, vehemently condemned what they characterized as "indiscriminate and reckless" missile and drone strikes launched by Iran, labeling the attacks as a "dangerous escalation" threatening regional stability.
In a unified statement from the US State Department, the governments of the United States, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE denounced the assaults on multiple sovereign states.
"The United States, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE strongly condemn the reckless missile and drone attacks by the Islamic Republic of Iran against sovereign territories throughout the region," the statement declared.
US President Donald Trump characterized the extensive American military operation against Iran as "one of the largest, most intricate, and most overwhelming military offensives the world has ever witnessed," announcing that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is deceased and pledging that military actions will persist "until all of our objectives are fulfilled."