Iran's Foreign Minister: Tehran does not seek a ceasefire with the US and Israel

Tehran, (ANTARA) – Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that his country does not seek a ceasefire with the United States (US) and Israel, and does not see any reason to negotiate with Washington. He made the statement in an interview with the US television channel NBC News, aired on Thursday (5 March). “We are not seeking a ceasefire, and we do not see any 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. Regarding the possibility of a land invasion by the US into Iran, Araghchi said, “We are waiting for them because we believe we can face them, and it would be a huge disaster for them.” Araghchi added that Iran has been fully prepared to face the ongoing conflict and ready for any other possibilities, including a land invasion. He stressed that the Iranian armed forces are ready to confront any scenario. Meanwhile, Iran said on Thursday that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy had targeted the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln with drones in the Gulf of Oman, about 340 km off Iran’s territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman. The headquarters of Khatam al-Anbiya of Iran told state television IRIB TV that after being struck by an Iranian drone, the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its escort ships immediately moved away and are now at a position more than 1,000 km from the area. These developments come in the wake of a joint US-Israel attack on Tehran and several other cities in Iran that began on Saturday (28 February) morning local time. The attack resulted in the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with several members of his family, top Iranian military commanders, and civilians. Iran subsequently responded with several rounds of missile and drone strikes targeting Israeli and US assets in the region.