Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has firmly refused to commence negotiations on the final deal with the United States as long as threats from Washington persist. In a post on X, Araghchi invoked paragraph 13 of the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Iran and the US, stating, 'Negotiations on final Deal will not commence if threats continue. Honor your signature.'
Araghchi's Response to Trump's Threats
Araghchi shared visuals from the grand funeral procession of slain former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, asserting that millions of proud Iranians and the country's armed forces are unmoved by any threats. 'Neither them nor our Brave Armed Forces are moved by any threats,' he wrote on X.
The remarks came after US President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to 'finish the job' if a deal is not reached with Tehran. Trump stated, 'We are going to win one way or the other. We're either going to make a deal, or we're going to finish the job.' He expressed a preference for a negotiated settlement over military action but emphasized US capability to cripple Iran's critical infrastructure.
Trump's Military Posturing
Trump claimed the US could destroy Iran's electricity and power generation facilities within hours. 'We can knock down their bridges in one hour. We can knock out their energy supply, all of those big plants that they've built... We can knock out their electricity and power-generating plants in, I would say, a small part of an afternoon. Every plant will be gone,' he said.
Earlier, Trump had claimed Washington could eliminate Iran's surviving leadership in 'one shot' during the week-long state funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in joint US-Israeli air strikes on February 28. In an interview with Axios, Trump said, 'They are all there. One shot [and we can take them all out], but we are not going to do that because then we would have nobody to negotiate with.'
Iran's Condemnation and Funeral Procession
Iran strongly condemned Trump's remarks. The Iranian Embassy in Armenia criticized the US, stating it 'neither has a civilization, history, nor honour' and would never understand the grief surrounding Khamenei's death.
Meanwhile, the body of Iran's former supreme leader arrived in Qom, transported by helicopter, according to state television and Al Jazeera. The funeral drew millions of mourners, showcasing national unity amid escalating tensions.
The MoU, which established the framework for negotiations, explicitly prohibits the commencement of final deal talks under threat. Araghchi's refusal highlights the impasse in US-Iran relations, with both sides holding firm positions.
