Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, in an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday (local time), said Tehran was prepared for a “doomsday war” with the United States after President Donald Trump publicly rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
In the September 27 interview, Araghchi addressed a Wall Street Journal report that Trump had rejected Tehran’s proposal for a seven-day ceasefire. The report, citing US officials, said Trump had told aides that he expected to resume bombing Iran after the November midterm elections. The report came after Trump threatened to annihilate Iran during his speech to the United Nations General Assembly earlier this week.
“We are fully prepared for the war to be resumed. We stand firm in the face of any new aggression, even if it comes to a doomsday war. We don’t care about U.S. midterm elections. We care about our national interests,” Araghchi told NBC News. “At the same time, we stand ready for diplomacy. It is up to President Trump to choose.”
Reacting to Trump’s public rejection, Araghchi said the decision had not been formally communicated to Tehran through designated diplomatic channels.
He reiterated that Iran remained willing to reopen the maritime corridor as part of a negotiated settlement to end the hostilities. “We want our monies, our assets, which are illegally frozen, to be released. We want to be able to sell our oil,” Araghchi said, adding that the terms were similar to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in June for a temporary ceasefire, which collapsed soon after following reciprocal strikes.