Iran says will “fight whenever necessary” after Trump rejects latest proposal
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Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Monday that Tehran participates in diplomatic efforts “in good faith,” while accusing the United States of repeatedly undermining negotiations over the past two decades.
Speaking during a press conference on Monday, Iran would continue using both “the weapon of diplomacy” and military resistance whenever it considers necessary to protect national interests.
“We fight whenever necessary and use the weapon of diplomacy whenever we deem it necessary to realize the interests of the Iranian nation,” Baqaei said, adding that “the satisfaction of others is not important to us.”
Iran accuses US of breaching trust
Baqaei said diplomatic negotiations must be based on national interests and argued that Washington has failed to honor previous commitments.
“The US has committed a breach of trust in every diplomatic process it has participated in over the past 20 years,” he said, pointing to Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in 2018 under then-US President Donald Trump.
Baqaei said Iran’s response to the US side includes “reasonable and logical demands” that take “the interests of the entire region into account.”
Talks remain uncertain
The remarks come as uncertainty continues over the future of US-Iran negotiations following weeks of regional escalation, including tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and disputes over sanctions, maritime security, and Iran’s nuclear program.
Trump on Sunday said he has rejected Iran's response to a US proposal for ending the Middle East war, deeming it "totally unacceptable."
"I have just read the response from Iran's so-called 'Representatives.' I don't like it -- TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!" Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, without describing elements of Tehran's response.
Iran's foreign ministry said it had called for an end to the war across the region and the release of frozen assets abroad in its response to the latest US peace proposal.
"We did not demand any concessions. The only thing we demanded was Iran's legitimate rights," said Baqaei in the briefing.
He said Iran's demands included "an end to the war in the region", ending the US naval blockade, and the "release of assets belonging to the Iranian people, which have for years been unjustly trapped in foreign banks".
