Iran Warns US: 'You Cannot Threaten Us, This Is Not Venezuela'

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has dismissed United States claims that Tehran can be forced into submission through military pressure. Araghchi stressed that Iran is not Venezuela and the situations of the two countries are vastly different.

In an interview with Mehr News Agency, Araghchi compared the situation in Iran to that in Venezuela, where the US imposed a regime change through the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro in a military operation last January. He emphasised that Tehran does not have a single power system, so removing one leader would not trigger the collapse of the Islamic Republic.

“This is not Venezuela, where when you arrest one person, everyone else becomes frightened and retreats,” Araghchi said, referring to Iran’s “mosaic” power model that diversifies the decision-making process under unified leadership.

During the interview, Araghchi discussed the constant dangers he and other Iranian negotiators face during peace talks with the US. He recounted a conversation with Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, who served as the American negotiator.

“I asked Witkoff, ‘Have you ever been in a meeting where you felt the entire gathering could be bombed at any moment?’ They just stared at me blankly,” Araghchi said in the interview, which was also broadcast by Russian media outlet RT. “I said, ‘Have you ever been speaking on the phone and thought that, as people say, you could explode or be destroyed instantly? Have you ever, for instance, when calling to check on your family’s condition, thought to yourself that this might be the last time you could do so?’ We experience such things, yet we remain steadfast in our position.”

Araghchi asserted that despite constant threats, Iran refuses to surrender. He revealed that it was the US that first initiated contact with Iran for nuclear negotiations last year and has continued to communicate periodically since then.

“In response to the illegal and baseless demands to completely halt uranium enrichment, we resisted and remained firm. When they realised they could not achieve their goals through negotiation, they started a war,” he stated. “You should speak to us in a different manner. You cannot threaten us, and you cannot bribe us,” Araghchi stressed.

Araghchi added that Washington offered the construction of power plants and infrastructure in exchange for certain concessions by Tehran. “I said no bribes, no threats. You can only threaten someone who feels fear. When we step forward, fully aware that anything could happen to us at any time, you cannot frighten me,” he said.