GENEVA: Iran&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday that the United States must drop its &ldquo;excessive demands&rdquo; if the two sides are to reach a deal, following their latest round of talks in Geneva. In a phone call with Egypt&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Araghchi said that &ldquo;success in this path requires seriousness and realism from the other side and avoidance of any miscalculation and excessive demands,&rdquo; according to Iranian state media. Araghchi did not specify which demands he considered excessive. However, Washington has consistently pointed to Iran&rsquo;s ballistic missile program and its uranium enrichment capability as a red line. US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Tehran had &ldquo;already developed missiles that can threaten Europe and our bases overseas, and they&#39;re working to build missiles that will soon reach the United States of America.&rdquo; Also on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed Iran is &ldquo;not enriching right now, but they&#39;re trying to get to the point where they ultimately can,&rdquo; adding that Tehran &ldquo;refuses&rdquo; to discuss its ballistic missile program and that &ldquo;that&#39;s a big problem.&rdquo; Iran has repeatedly defended its missile program as a core element of its defensive capabilities and has ruled out abandoning uranium enrichment. Iranian officials maintain that the country&rsquo;s nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes and complies with international law.&nbsp; Iran and the United States, longtime adversaries, held their third round of Omani-mediated nuclear talks on Thursday in Geneva. The negotiations aim to prevent further military escalation as Washington increases its military presence in the region. Both Iran and Oman reported progress after the talks. Technical-level discussions are scheduled for Monday in Vienna, ahead of a fourth round of high-level negotiations expected next week.

In this handout photo released by the Iran's Foreign Ministry on February 26, 2026, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (L) speaks with Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi during their meeting in Geneva.

Middle East

In a phone call with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Araghchi said that “success in this path requires seriousness and realism from the other side and avoidance of any miscalculation and excessive demands,” according to Iranian state media.

Iran urges US to drop 'excessive demands' to reach deal 

TEHRAN: Iran has offered to help mediate between Afghanistan and Pakistan after a sharp conflict that saw Islamabad declare what it described as an &ldquo;open war&rdquo; against the Taliban-led government in Kabul and carry out air strikes following deadly border clashes.&nbsp; In a post on X, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said ,&quot;The Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready to provide any assistance necessary to facilitate dialogue and to enhance understanding and cooperation between the two countries&quot;.&nbsp;

Abbas Araghchi (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

In a post on X, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said ,"The Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready to provide any assistance necessary to facilitate dialogue and to enhance understanding and cooperation between the two countries". 

Iran offers to help facilitate dialogue between Afghanistan, Pakistan

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has demanded a fundamental shift in United States policy toward Iran, warning of &ldquo;ferocious&rdquo; retaliation if Washington resorts to military action, after President Donald Trump issued fresh threats over Tehran&rsquo;s nuclear program.&nbsp;In an opinion article published in the Wall Street Journal, Araghchi said the US strategy of &ldquo;maximum pressure&rdquo; had failed, arguing that a year of sanctions, cyber operations and military pressure had not weakened Iran.&nbsp;&ldquo;The US has tried every conceivable hostile act against Iran, from sanctions and cyber assaults to outright military attack, and most recently fanning a major terrorist operation, all of which failed,&rdquo; Araghchi wrote. He called on Washington to abandon pressure tactics and adopt what he described as a policy of &ldquo;respect.&rdquo;&nbsp;Araghchi&rsquo;s comments came shortly after President Trump warned Iran to &ldquo;stop with the nuclear,&rdquo; claiming Tehran halted the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/iran-says-3117-killed-in-protests-sparked-by-economic-grievances" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">killing of protesters</a>&nbsp;after he threatened military action.&nbsp;Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with CNBC on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump said Iran should abandon its nuclear activities, adding that his warnings had forced Tehran to change its behavior. Trump said major&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-president-warns-iran-of-blowing-in-response-to-the-assassination-threats" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">US air strikes</a>&nbsp;last June had ended Iran&rsquo;s nuclear capacity and insisted Iran &ldquo;can&rsquo;t do the nuclear,&rdquo; warning that &ldquo;if they do it, it&rsquo;s going to happen again.&rdquo; He also said he hoped no further military action would be necessary, but stressed that the US would react if Tehran restarted its nuclear efforts. The Iranian foreign minister rejected the claim and accused Washington of fueling instability in the region. He said Trump&rsquo;s first year in office had brought &ldquo;only bloodshed,&rdquo; pointing to civilian casualties in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran.&nbsp;Diplomacy underminedAraghchi said Iran and the US were&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/iran-ready-for-war-and-talks-but-rejects-dictates-fm" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">close to breakthroughs</a>&nbsp;during indirect talks in Oman last year, but alleged that progress was repeatedly blocked by &ldquo;Israel&rsquo;s proxies in the White House.&rdquo;&nbsp;He also criticized the US decision in September 2025 to push European countries to trigger the &ldquo;snapback&rdquo; mechanism under the 2015 nuclear deal, calling it a major miscalculation that destroyed chances of de-escalation.&nbsp;While stressing that Iran remains open to a &ldquo;fair and balanced&rdquo; agreement, Araghchi said recent events had made Tehran deeply sceptical of Washington&rsquo;s intentions.&nbsp;Warning of retaliationAlthough stating that he &ldquo;abhors war,&rdquo; the Iranian foreign minister warned that Iran would respond forcefully to any new military action.&nbsp;&ldquo;Unlike the restraint shown in mid-2025, Iran&rsquo;s armed forces have no qualms about firing back with everything we have,&rdquo; he said, warning that any conflict would be long-lasting and spread across the wider region.&nbsp;Araghchi also dismissed what he described as &ldquo;fantasy timelines&rdquo; promoted by Israeli officials, saying a full-scale confrontation would have global consequences.&nbsp;Unrest and accusationsAddressing recent unrest inside Iran, Araghchi claimed that initially peaceful economic protests were hijacked by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/irans-khamenei-says-authorities-must-break-the-back-of-the-seditionists" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">foreign-backed armed groups</a>&nbsp;seeking to provoke US intervention. He accused Western media of promoting &ldquo;distorted narratives&rdquo; about the violence.&nbsp;He said Iranian security forces faced coordinated attacks by armed groups, adding that the violence lasted less than three days and had since been brought under control.&nbsp;&ldquo;No government would sit idly by as its citizens were subjected to such unfathomable horrors,&rdquo; Araghchi said, insisting Iran preferred peace but would not be intimidated by threats or pressure.&nbsp;The exchange of sharp statements highlights rising tensions between Tehran and Washington, raising fears of further escalation in an already volatile region.

Araghchi’s comments came shortly after President Trump warned Iran to 'stop with the nuclear,' claiming Tehran halted the killing of protesters after he threatened military action.

Iran warns of ‘ferocious’ retaliation after Trump threatens military action

ISLAMABAD: The United States on Thursday announced sweeping sanctions targeting shipping and aviation networks tied to Iran&rsquo;s petroleum trade, explicitly naming entities operating &ldquo;in several countries, including, but not limited to India, Panama, and the Seychelles,&rdquo; according to a State Department statement.&nbsp;The State Department said it designated 17 entities, individuals and vessels, while the Treasury Department simultaneously listed 41 entities, individuals, vessels and aircraft for allegedly helping channel funds to Iran&rsquo;s &ldquo;malign activities through illicit oil sales.&rdquo;&nbsp;The statement warned that revenue from these networks is used to support &ldquo;Iran&rsquo;s regional terrorist proxies and procure weapons systems that pose a direct threat to US forces and our allies.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;We will use all the tools at our disposal to hold the regime accountable,&rdquo; the release said, stressing that actions are being taken under National Security Presidential Memorandum 2, which directs &ldquo;maximum pressure on the Iranian regime.&rdquo;&nbsp;Iran says West pursuing &lsquo;escalation&rsquo; after new IAEA resolutionReacting a day later, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the US and three European powers of triggering a fresh confrontation after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) passed a resolution demanding &ldquo;full and prompt&rdquo; cooperation from Tehran, including access to sensitive nuclear sites.&nbsp;&ldquo;Given that the E3 and the US seek escalation, they know full well that the official termination of the Cairo Agreement is the direct outcome of their provocations,&rdquo; Araghchi posted on X.&nbsp;He added that the agreement, reached in September to guide cooperation with the IAEA, was now &ldquo;null and void&rdquo; following the new resolution.&nbsp;Araghchi said Western actions had &ldquo;killed&rdquo; the framework much like &ldquo;the diplomacy which was assaulted by Israel and the US in June,&rdquo; referencing the mid-June conflict in which Israel launched an &ldquo;unprecedented bombing campaign&rdquo; and the United States &ldquo;briefly joined with strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities.&rdquo;&nbsp;He argued earlier that any access for inspectors to sites hit during the war depended on reaching a &ldquo;new understanding,&rdquo; saying the latest IAEA move was &ldquo;disrupting the process of interactions and cooperation.&rdquo;&nbsp;With additional inputs from AFP

Asia

US sanctions India-linked networks in Iran’s oil trade as Tehran slams Western powers for “escalation” after a new IAEA resolution renders the Cairo cooperation agreement void.

India-linked entities flagged as US tightens curbs on Iran oil trade

VIENNA: Diplomats from Germany, United Kingdom (UK) and France held talks with Iran&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday to explore final options before sanctions are reinstated on Iran&rsquo;s nuclear program, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said.&nbsp;A statement issued on behalf of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged the meeting, which also involves Kaja Kallas, the foreign policy chief for the European Union.&nbsp;Wadephul said the three European countries known as the &lsquo;E3&rsquo; will continue to negotiate with Iran.&nbsp;Amid a flurry of diplomatic engagements, Araghchi on Monday also met with Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in New York.&nbsp;Earlier this month, the UN nuclear watchdog and Iran signed an agreement mediated by Egypt to pave the way for resuming cooperation, including on ways of relaunching inspections of Iran&rsquo;s nuclear facilities. Iran&rsquo;s President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a law adopted by his country&rsquo;s parliament suspending all cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, which followed Israel&rsquo;s 12-day war with Iran in June, during which Israel and the US struck Iranian nuclear sites. Iran has long insisted its program is peaceful, though Western nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) assess that Tehran had an active nuclear weapons program until 2003.&nbsp;The process, termed a &ldquo;snapback&rdquo; by the diplomats who negotiated it into Iran&rsquo;s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers was designed to be veto-proof at the UN and could take effect in a month.&nbsp;The move set a 30-day clock for resumption unless a diplomatic agreement is reached.&nbsp;European nations have said they would be willing to extend the deadline if Iran resumes direct negotiations with the US over its nuclear program and allows UN nuclear inspectors access to its nuclear sites, and accounts for the more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium the UN watchdog says it has.&nbsp;If no diplomatic deal is found, the sanctions will automatically &quot;snapback&quot; on September 28.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi engaged European leaders to prevent sanctions “snapback,” stressing Iran’s peaceful nuclear program. Tehran seeks fair negotiations and insists cooperation depends on respecting its sovereignty.

Articles tagged with "Abbas Araghchi"

Iran urges US to drop 'excessive demands' to reach deal

Iran offers to help facilitate dialogue between Afghanistan, Pakistan

Iran warns of ‘ferocious’ retaliation after Trump threatens military action

India-linked entities flagged as US tightens curbs on Iran oil trade

Iran's foreign minister meets European nations ahead of deadline

Iran urges US to drop 'excessive demands' to reach deal