Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran is prepared to confront any potential ground invasion by the United States, adopting a defiant tone as the conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel continues to intensify.
In a video interview from Tehran with Tom Llamas for NBC Nightly News, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran is confident it could counter American forces if Washington launches a ground offensive following days of heavy airstrikes across the country.
Asked whether he feared a possible U.S. invasion, Araghchi dismissed the prospect and said Iran was ready for such a scenario.
“No, we are waiting for them,” he said. “Because we are confident that we can confront them, and that would be a big disaster for them.”
The comments come as U.S. and Israeli forces continue a broad military campaign against Iran that began over the weekend with coordinated airstrikes targeting military facilities and strategic infrastructure. The opening wave of attacks reportedly killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, after strikes devastated his compound in Tehran.
Araghchi also rejected suggestions that Iran is seeking a ceasefire, insisting that Tehran has not requested a halt to the fighting despite continued bombardment.
“We didn’t ask for a ceasefire even last time,” he said, referring to a previous round of fighting between Iran and Israel last year. “In the previous time, it was Israel who asked for a ceasefire. They asked for an unconditional ceasefire after 12 days that we resisted against their aggression.”
During the interview, Araghchi was asked about a deadly explosion at an elementary school in the southern Iranian city of Minab that reportedly killed dozens of students. Iranian authorities say 171 schoolgirls died in the blast.
The Iranian foreign minister said Tehran believes either U.S. or Israeli forces were responsible for the incident.
“This is what our military said,” he stated. “So it is either U.S. or Israel. What is the difference?”
U.S. officials have said the incident is under investigation and have not confirmed responsibility.
Araghchi also revealed that the outbreak of hostilities abruptly ended diplomatic negotiations that had been underway just days earlier. Last week, he had been in Geneva holding talks with envoys representing U.S. President Donald Trump, including senior adviser Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
According to Araghchi, the launch of the military campaign during ongoing negotiations has destroyed any remaining trust between Tehran and Washington.
“The fact is that we don’t have any positive experience of negotiating with the United States, especially with this administration,” he said. “We negotiated twice last year and this year, and then in the middle of negotiations they attacked us.”
He added that Iran currently sees no reason to resume dialogue with U.S. officials, accusing Washington of failing to negotiate in good faith.
“So we see no reason why we should engage once again with those who are not honest in negotiation and do not enter into negotiations in good faith,” he said.
Despite the escalating conflict, Araghchi said he does not believe the war will produce a clear victor.
“There is no winner in this war,” he said. “Our win is to be able to resist against the illegal goals, and this is what we have done so far.”
The war has already expanded beyond Iran’s borders, drawing in regional powers and threatening global energy routes, while raising fears that a broader confrontation involving ground forces could further destabilize the Middle East.
