Araghchi: We welcome dignified diplomacy to defend Iran

Pars Today – Iran’s foreign minister has said the country is more prepared than ever to defend itself.

According to Pars Today, citing IRIB, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi told reporters on the sidelines of the 52nd Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Baghdad that Iran would never bow to threats.

“We are more prepared than ever to defend ourselves. At the same time, we are ready to pursue diplomacy, provided it is conducted with dignity and honor and secures the rights of the Iranian people,” he said.

Araghchi added that Iran’s position was entirely clear and had been presented to the United States in the form of a seven-day plan. The US had submitted its views, and Iran was still responding to them.

“The seven-day plan remains on the table from our perspective. If the US side is sincere—which it is not—the way forward is clear. If they meet those conditions, the Strait [of Hormuz] will reopen on the sixth day, and negotiations will begin on the seventh day,” he said.

The Iranian foreign minister also said that, unfortunately, the OIC had not performed well for various reasons that could be discussed. However, he expressed hope that the appointment of a new secretary-general, Mauritania’s former foreign minister, and the transfer of the rotating presidency to Iraq would give the organization a new lease on life.

Araghchi stressed that the OIC was expected to play a constructive role in resolving disputes among Islamic countries.