Iran willing to return to negotiating table, but not under threat -- Iranian FM

ISTANBUL, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Friday in Istanbul that Iran is willing to negotiate with the United States but "cannot begin under threat."

"The United States has shown no goodwill and has never been trustworthy. Yet Iran remains ready for all diplomatic processes and is willing to sit at the negotiating table," Araghchi said at a press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan.

Araghchi said Tehran is prepared for all scenarios, whether war or diplomacy, and is even better prepared than in June last year, when Israel and the United States launched airstrikes on Iran.

He reiterated that Iran has never sought nuclear weapons, adding that Iran "will maintain and expand our defense capabilities and will not negotiate them."

During the conference, Fidan urged Iran and the United States to return immediately to the negotiating table, noting that diplomacy is the only way to prevent further escalation in the region.

He said Türkiye is ready to serve as a facilitator for both sides to seek dialogue. "We stress again that we are against resorting to military options to resolve problems."

Araghchi's visit comes against the backdrop of heightened U.S. military threats against Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said that a "massive armada," led by the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, is heading toward Iran, warning that "time is running out" for Tehran to reach a deal with the United States.■