Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi cautioned on Saturday that if the U.S. becomes involved in the Israel conflict, the repercussions would be “very, very dangerous” for everyone.
“The U.S. President’s tweets and interviews make it quite clear that he’s discussing U.S. leadership on these potential involvement questions,” . “Unfortunately, we have heard the U.S. might join this aggression. That would be unfortunate, and I think very, very dangerous for everybody.”
Araghchi also asserted that Iran possesses “many indications” suggesting U.S. involvement in Israel’s bombardments of Iran from “day one.”
These comments arise amid ongoing uncertainty and debate regarding potential U.S. involvement in the conflict and its future form.
Trump, who has stated that the U.S. has not been involved in the Israeli strikes thus far, has given himself a deadline of two weeks to decide whether the U.S. will strike Iran.
“Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” Trump said, in a statement delivered by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday. Leavitt added that “if there’s a chance for diplomacy, the President’s always going to grab it, but he’s not afraid to use strength as well.”
The U.S. and Iran have been in talks for a long time with the aim of achieving a nuclear agreement.
Officials from both countries were scheduled to meet in Muscat, Oman, last weekend for another round of nuclear talks. However, that, due to the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, those talks would no longer proceed. This announcement followed reports on state television quoting Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei, who deemed nuclear talks with the U.S. “meaningless.”
While Trump has urged Iran to return to negotiations, Iranian officials seem hesitant.
“For us to return to diplomacy, the aggression must stop,” Araghchi stated on Saturday. “I cannot negotiate with the United States while our people are being bombarded with the support of the United States.”
Trump has repeatedly stated during the first months of his second term that any deal with Iran must include a ban on uranium enrichment, which could enable them to produce nuclear weapons.
He has also demanded something more lasting than a simple cease-fire.
“We’re looking for better than a cease-fire,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on June 17, departing from the G7 summit. “A real end, not a cease-fire. An end… giving up, entirely.”
Trump later reinforced his position on what Iran should do via a Truth Social post, writing: “!”
However, Trump’s responses have been ambiguous when questioned about the specifics of potential U.S. involvement in the Middle Eastern conflict.
On Wednesday, when asked if the U.S. is “moving closer” to striking Iranian nuclear facilities, Trump responded: “I may do it, I may not do it, nobody knows what I’m going to do… I can tell you this. Iran’s got a lot of trouble. They want to negotiate. I said, ‘Why didn’t you negotiate with me before? All this death and destruction.'”
He later : “I like to make the final decision one second before it’s due, because things change, especially with war.”
Meanwhile, Araghchi’s recent warning is the latest in a series of strong statements and threats from Iranian officials regarding potential U.S. involvement in the ongoing conflict.
On Wednesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader the consequences if the U.S. joins the Israeli conflict.
“The Americans should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage,” Khamenei stated in a televised address. “The U.S. entering in this matter [war] is 100% to its own detriment. The damage it will suffer will be far greater than any harm that Iran may encounter.”
The Israel-Iran conflict has entered its ninth day and shows no sign of ending.
Israel’s strikes, conducted in the early hours of June 13, targeted multiple nuclear and military sites, amid growing concerns about Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the strikes, part of Operation Rising Lion, “would continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.”
Iran followed through on its promise of retaliation, and the rivals have been exchanging deadly missiles and threats since, with the in both countries rising as a result.
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