TEHRAN/WASHINGTON/CAIRO/JERUSALEM – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday said that talks with the United States are no longer on Tehran’s agenda.
Speaking to PBS News, Araghchi emphasized that Iran is prepared to continue its missile operations for as long as necessary, signaling a firm stance against immediate negotiations with Washington following US President Donald Trump’s claim on Monday that the conflict with Iran would end “very soon”.
When asked whether the strikes could be over this week at a press conference in Florida, Trump said no. “But soon. Very soon”, he said.
Trump declared that US goals were largely accomplished while supporting US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s earlier warning that the battle is only beginning.
“Well, I think you could say both,” Trump said. “It’s the beginning of building a new country.”
On Feb 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israeli and US bases in the Middle East.
According to Trump, US forces have struck more than 5,000 targets since the US and Israel launched massive attacks on Iran on Feb 28.
“Some of them very major targets,” Trump said, adding that the US military is leaving “some of the most important targets for later in case we need to do it.”
Trump said he was “disappointed” with , but refused to answer whether the younger Khamenei would be targeted for a lethal assault.
The White House would be “waiving certain oil-related sanctions to reduce prices”, but did not specify which sanctions would be lifted, said Trump.
‘Nowhere near’ ordering US ground troops
In a phone interview with the New York Post, Trump said he is “nowhere near” ordering US ground troops into Iran to safeguard nuclear material at Isfahan.
“We haven’t made any decision on that. We’re nowhere near it,” Trump told the newspaper.
‘Many surprises in store’ for US
Highlighting Iran’s readiness for any US “plot”, Araghchi said on social media platform X on Monday that the country has “many surprises in store” for the United States.
Araghchi derided the name “Operation Epic Fury” chosen by the United States for its ongoing anti-Iran attacks by calling it “Operation Epic Mistake”, saying nine days into the operation, “oil prices have doubled while all commodities are skyrocketing.”
“We know the US is plotting against our oil and nuclear sites in hopes of containing huge inflationary shock,” he said, adding, “Iran is fully prepared. And we, too, have many surprises in store.”
Regional leaders call for diplomatic efforts
Also on Monday, leaders in the Middle East urged diplomatic efforts to curb the escalating tensions in the region as the United States and Israel continued their joint attacks on Iran, prompting retaliatory strikes.
The leaders made the remarks via video conference in an emergency meeting called by the European Union regarding current regional developments, with the participation of leaders and officials from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkiye, Iraq, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
During the conference, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi stressed the importance of all parties exercising restraint, working to reduce escalation, prioritizing the language of dialogue, and pushing for a diplomatic path, according to a statement from the Egyptian Presidency.
Jordanian King Abdullah II underscored the importance of relying on diplomacy and dialogue to curb mounting tensions in the region, according to a Royal Court statement.
Iranian missile strike near Tel Aviv
Meanwhile, a missile attack from Iran killed a construction worker in central Israel on Monday, the country’s Magen David Adom rescue service spokesman Zaki Heller told Xinhua.
His death brought the total death toll in Israel since the beginning of the conflict to 11, according to official Israeli figures.
IRGC drone headquarters in Iran hit
The Israeli military said in a statement that it struck the drone headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The headquarters was used to launch drones toward Israel, the military said.
Iran’s internal security sites struck
The military also said it struck Iran’s internal security sites and missile launchers across the country, as its warplanes targeted missile launch sites and command centers of the internal security forces and Basij volunteer force affiliated with the IRGC and deepened damage to military infrastructure.
About 1,900 Iranian soldiers, commanders killed
Speaking at a press briefing, Israeli military spokesman Effie Defrin said the military has killed about 1,900 Iranian soldiers and commanders since the start of the conflict, adding that Israel did not rule out targeting Iran’s newly announced supreme leader.
Defrin also confirmed that a second person was killed earlier on Monday in an Iranian missile attack in Israel, bringing the total death toll from Iranian attacks in the country to 12 civilians, in addition to two soldiers killed in combat with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
According to the Israeli Health Ministry, a total of 2,238 people in Israel have been evacuated to hospitals since the beginning of US-Israeli strikes on Iran, with 91 of them still in hospitals.