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Thursday | October 22, 2026 | Dhaka

‘Iran won’t surrender to US’

 International Desk
 Published: 12:05 AM, 22 October 2026

Iran will never surrender to American power, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said, adding that Tehran is engaged in talks with Washington through the mediation of Qatar and Pakistan. However, he stressed that the United States must honour its previous commitments for negotiations to resolve the ongoing crisis.

Araghchi made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Iraqi media network Al-Akhbariya on Tuesday night, October 20.

He said Iran would not surrender under any circumstances.
According to the Iranian foreign minister, the core of the dispute between Tehran and Washington lies in the United States’ opposition to Iran’s Islamic system of government and Tehran’s refusal to accept American dominance.

He described the dispute over Iran’s nuclear programme as merely a pretext for the underlying conflict.

Araghchi said Washington was unwilling to accept a situation in which Iran opposed American hegemony and refused to submit to US power. He argued that the nuclear issue was being used to bring that opposition to the forefront.

The Iranian diplomat also expressed deep distrust of the United States, saying the two countries had held three rounds of negotiations in the past, but each was ultimately followed by war against Iran.

Referring to US and Israeli attacks on Iran in June last year and between February 28 and April 7 this year, Araghchi claimed that discussions between Tehran and Washington were underway during both periods of military action.

He further alleged that the United States had violated a memorandum of understanding reached between the two countries in June through Pakistan’s mediation.

“There is no room to trust the United States’ position,” Araghchi said.

Despite these concerns, Iran has proposed a seven-day plan aimed at preventing diplomatic efforts from collapsing completely, he said. The proposal seeks to reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz under certain conditions.
Iran has kept the vital shipping route closed in response to recent US-Israeli attacks and what Tehran describes as repeated violations of American commitments.
Under the proposed plan, the United States must first fulfil its obligations under the Islamabad memorandum of understanding. The two sides would then need to reach an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz.
Once the waterway is reopened under mutually agreed conditions, further negotiations could take place with the aim of reaching a comprehensive final agreement.
Araghchi said the proposal was designed to ensure that diplomatic efforts did not fail entirely. However, he emphasised that its success depended on the other side.
He added that meaningful diplomatic progress would be possible only if the United States honoured the understandings reached during negotiations.
The Iranian foreign minister reiterated that the next phase of negotiations would depend on Washington fulfilling its previous commitments and the two sides reaching an understanding on the Strait of Hormuz.