Iran Rejects Negotiations with the US, Ready to Face Ground Invasion
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi stated firmly that his country will not seek a ceasefire with the United States (US) or Israel. Iran has also closed the door to negotiations with Washington amid escalating military tensions.
The hardline statement came in an exclusive interview with the US television channel NBC News, aired on Thursday (5 March 2026).
‘We are not asking for a ceasefire, and we see no reason why we should negotiate with the US because we have negotiated with them twice, and each time they attacked us in the middle of those negotiations,’ Araghchi said.
In response to speculation about a possible ground invasion of Iran by US forces, Araghchi adopted a defiant stance. He insisted that Iran’s armed forces are on full alert to face even the worst-case scenario.
‘We are waiting for them because we are confident we can confront them, and it would be a big disaster for them,’ Araghchi said.
He added that Tehran has prepared itself fully for all eventualities, including open ground war.
On the same day, military tension rose again after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed to have targeted the US aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. The attack was reported to have used drones in the Sea of Oman, about 340 kilometres from Iran’s territorial waters.
The headquarters of Khatam al-Anbiya Base told Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB TV that the attack forced the US carrier group to withdraw. The USS Abraham Lincoln and its escort vessels were reportedly moving away to a distance of more than 1,000 kilometres from the area after the strike.
This sequence of events follows a large-scale joint attack allegedly launched by the US and Israel against Tehran and several other Iranian cities on Saturday (28 February 2026).
That deadly assault is said to have killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei along with several family members and top military commanders. In response, Iran launched a wave of missile and drone strikes targeting various strategic Israeli and US assets in the region. (Ant/Xinhua/P-4)
Tehran has no agenda to open a dialogue with Washington as long as intimidation remains a central instrument of US foreign policy.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that the Iranian military is now far better prepared to face armed conflict than it was around June.
Araghchi emphasised that negotiations would only be possible if conducted fairly and on an equal footing. According to him, the conditions for such dialogue have not yet been met.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi claimed that the number of demonstrator deaths amounts to only hundreds and alleged a plot to drag the US into the conflict.
Israeli authorities cancelled Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on grounds of the Iran conflict. The Grand Imam of Al-Aqsa condemned the closure as unfounded.
In the midst of a barrage of missiles from the US and Israel that reportedly killed more than 1,000 people, ordinary Iranians are living in war zones. Tehran authorities have shut down global Internet to below 1%.
‘Kim Jong Un states North Korea is ready to supply missiles to Iran and claims to be able to wipe out Israel. See details of the test of the new destroyer Choe Hyon and its nuclear progress.’
He cited several fundamental questions that remain unanswered, such as how disarmament would work and who would carry out the operation on the ground.
Iran’s Press TV reported on Thursday morning (5 March) that the military targeted anti-Iran separatist forces, without mentioning the location of the strikes.