Foreign Minister Araghchi: US Now Begging Iran to Negotiate
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the United States failed to force Tehran to surrender during the war. The US has even been said to have begged Iran to negotiate.
“America is now begging to negotiate with us according to our terms,” Araghchi said in a statement carried by Al Jazeera on Tuesday (18/8/2026).
He claimed that the memorandum of understanding signed with Washington contains 13 provisions that benefit Tehran. “Only one benefits them,” he said, while accusing Israel of trying to sabotage its implementation.
“We won the war, and we also won in diplomacy, and we forced the enemy to accept our terms,” Araghchi said.
He added that Iran’s military capabilities and battlefield performance strengthened the negotiating position of Tehran’s diplomats.
Open conflict between the United States and Iran on a large military scale began on 28 February 2026. The US and Israel launched massive air strikes against Iranian military and nuclear sites. Tehran retaliated by launching attacks on Israel and US-allied countries in the Middle East. Negotiation efforts following the ceasefire agreement have yet to produce results.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday asserted that the United States is not engaged in talks with Iran—and has not scheduled any talks—while at the same time insisting that the Strait of Hormuz remains open.
The US leader stressed that although the naval blockade of Iranian ports remains ‘fully in effect’, all other maritime traffic is free to pass. He also posted a map depicting the strategic waterway as US territory.
The comments mark the latest shift in stance from Trump. On Monday, he had claimed that the US was engaged in talks through unofficial channels with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Tehran quickly denied the claim.
Tuesday’s statement appeared to reflect Trump’s frustration, given that Iran and Oman—the countries bordering Hormuz—continue to hold talks on the management of the strait.
“There are no talks or conversations ongoing, nor scheduled, with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Naval Blockade remains fully in effect. The Strait of Hormuz is open and operational. All sea mines have been removed or detonated,” Trump wrote.
Iran reiterated that Hormuz will remain closed until Washington fulfils the terms of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by both parties in June. The MoU was drawn up to end the hostilities that began in March.
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for legal and international affairs, appeared to respond to Trump’s post.
“Just as Trump correctly wrote the name of the eternal Persian Gulf, soon his delusion regarding the Strait of Hormuz will be corrected, or we will straighten out the delusion of this man who is hallucinating,” Gharibabadi wrote on social media.