TEHRAN, Iran, October 21 (ANI) — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has declared that Washington’s longstanding dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program is merely an “excuse,” asserting that the Islamic Republic honored the terms of previous international agreements, only to see the United States abandon them without justification.
In an interview with Iraq’s Al-Ikhbariya network, Araghchi said Washington’s fundamental opposition stems from Iran’s refusal to accept American dominance in the Middle East.
“The nuclear issue is an excuse; what the Americans oppose and do not accept is Iranian ideology. They completely reject the Iranian perspective, which emphasizes confronting American dominance and not surrendering to its power. This is the same thinking that has led to the formation and emergence of the resistance in our region,” Araghchi said, according to remarks carried by IRIB.
Addressing Washington’s record on diplomatic agreements, Araghchi said Tehran had previously fulfilled its international commitments, only for the United States to withdraw unilaterally.
“We reached an agreement with the world on the nuclear issue and the whole world welcomed that agreement; but the American side withdrew from it without providing any evidence and abandoned the agreement,” Araghchi said. “The same thing happened again in Islamabad.”
Despite ongoing diplomatic friction and military posturing, Araghchi emphasized that Washington understands the severe costs of initiating a direct military conflict. He cited Iran’s defense preparedness as the primary deterrent against American aggression.
“Americans know very well that they cannot achieve any of their goals through war,” Araghchi warned. “In my opinion, the main deterrent against the US starting a new war is precisely this complete readiness of Iran.”
Earlier on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed confidence that the ongoing war with Iran would end “very quickly,” reiterating that Iran would never be allowed to possess nuclear weapons.
Addressing a crowd of supporters during a campaign rally in Kentucky, Trump linked the outcome of the Middle East conflict directly to domestic gasoline prices, promising that fuel costs would fall once military operations concluded.
“It’s going to end very quickly. When it ends, your gas prices are going to be lower than what they were before,” Trump said.
During his speech, the president revisited previous military strikes against Iranian targets, describing the operations as necessary preemptive action to neutralize Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Trump defended the decisions made during what he called an “excursion,” asserting that the strikes had successfully crippled Iran’s nuclear development capabilities.
“You know, when I did the little excursion to the Islamic, the beautiful Islamic Republic of Iran, we beat the shit out of them. But when I did that excursion, we knocked out their nuclear capacity,” Trump told the rally.
Addressing lingering debate over the strategic cost of the strikes, Trump insisted that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons was the paramount national security priority.
“Somebody said, ‘Oh, well, was it worth it?’ I said, ‘They cannot have a nuclear weapon; they can’t, because they’ll use it,’” Trump added.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh stressed that ending hostilities on all fronts was essential to achieving lasting peace in the region. He warned that continued fighting anywhere would prolong the wider conflict.
Khatibzadeh said Iran was prepared to respond to questions raised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United States concerning its peaceful nuclear program. He referred to more than 15 IAEA reports that, he said, had verified Iranian compliance.
The developments come amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over the implementation of a 14-point memorandum of understanding signed in June, which aimed to end hostilities between the two sides and pave the way for further negotiations, particularly on Iran’s nuclear program.
The collapse of the agreement renewed the conflict in West Asia, with the United States striking Iranian military and civilian assets and the Islamic Republic targeting American bases across the Gulf in retaliatory attacks.
(ANI)
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