'We Will Not Surrender,' Araghchi Admits Pressure, Says No US Meeting Planned
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera that Tehran does not deny the economic pressure but will not surrender or abandon its dignity. He said no meeting with U.S. officials is planned.
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Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Tehran does not deny the economic pressure on the country, but will not surrender. He made the remarks in an interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday, Arabic-language reports said.
Araghchi also said Iran has no plans to meet U.S. officials, calling reports to the contrary media speculation. Al Jazeera reported that Tehran has studied a letter from U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
The comments cut across a morning report that a U.S. delegation could join direct talks in Doha. Iran International relayed that claim from Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
What Araghchi Said on Pressure
Arabic-language reports of the interview quoted him in full. In our translation, Araghchi said: “We do not deny the economic pressures, but we will not surrender or abandon our dignity.”
He added that Iran will keep resisting and overcome “this difficult stage” with its own capabilities. We could not find the line on Al Jazeera’s own site, so treat the wording as a translation.
No Meeting Planned, but Dialogue Welcomed
Araghchi said Iran sees no need to meet the Americans in the current circumstances. Qatari and Pakistani mediators are still consulting on Iran’s conditions, Tehran Times quoted him as saying.
He said Tehran studied the Vance letter carefully and discussed it at high-level meetings. Al Jazeera English reported he called Washington’s attempt to open dialogue a “positive step.”
He also warned that if the letter aims to fuel divisions, it would be “another mistake,” per Tehran Times. Iran will decide on direct or indirect talks only after Washington accepts its conditions.
Our earlier report covers how Vance reportedly offered to meet Iran’s Rezaei.
Iran’s Conditions
Arabic-language outlets listed the conditions he named in the interview. They include restoring oil waivers and releasing all frozen funds, including those held in Qatar.
Iran also wants recognition of a new Hormuz shipping route agreed with Oman, with other routes closed. It wants the war ended on all fronts, including Lebanon.
Al Jazeera Arabic quoted him saying the current proposal cuts the implementation period to two days. Iran says Washington must accept these conditions first. It earlier rejected Qatar’s mediation ideas and ruled out nuclear concessions.
The Pressure Behind the Quote
The U.S. Treasury says its pressure campaign has sharply cut Iran’s oil revenue. It says Iran has loaded no oil onto vessels since Aug. 25, Iran International reported.
Treasury also cites a roughly 25% fall in the rial and annual inflation of about 90% in September. These are U.S. government figures and were not independently verified.
President Masoud Pezeshkian has also acknowledged the impact. “Some say sanctions have no effect at all; to those people, I really don’t know what to say,” he told state television in August.
Why It Matters Now
The U.S. midterms are on Nov. 3, and Gulf officials say Trump plans strikes as soon as Nov. 4. Al Jazeera’s analyst Mohamed Elmenshawy said the “no peace, no war” stalemate ends with progress in talks or new attacks.
Iran’s armed forces are also on alert. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei ordered an immediate response to any threat without geographical limits, his office said on Saturday.
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