Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, has said the country is not seeking war but is fully prepared to defend itself, even as it remains open to negotiations, amid mounting internal unrest and external pressure from the United States.
Araghchi made the remarks on Monday while addressing a conference of foreign ambassadors in Tehran, as protests triggered by economic grievances entered their third week and evolved into one of the most serious challenges to Iran’s ruling system since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran is not seeking war but is fully prepared for war,” Araghchi said in comments broadcast on state television. “We are also ready for negotiations, but these negotiations must be fair, based on equal rights and mutual respect.”
The protests have intensified following a heavy security crackdown that activists say has killed hundreds. Iranian authorities have imposed a nationwide internet blackout lasting more than three and a half days, a move rights groups claim is aimed at obscuring the scale of the violence.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened military intervention if Iranian authorities continue to suppress protesters violently. On Sunday, Trump said Iran’s leadership had reached out to him to seek negotiations, though he warned that military action could still occur before any talks take place.
“The leaders of Iran called… they want to negotiate,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding, “We may have to act before a meeting.”
Despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations between Tehran and Washington, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, confirmed that indirect communication channels remain open between Araghchi and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, with Switzerland acting as the intermediary.
“Messages are exchanged whenever necessary,” Baghaei said, noting that the Swiss embassy represents US interests in Iran. Oman, which has previously played a mediating role between Iran and the West, also held talks with Iranian officials over the weekend.
Meanwhile, the human toll of the unrest continues to rise. Internet monitoring group Netblocks reported that the blackout had exceeded 84 hours, severely limiting the ability of protesters to share footage from demonstrations in major cities.
A video circulating on social media showed dozens of bodies outside a morgue in Kahrizak, south of Tehran, heightening fears of mass casualties. The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group said it had confirmed at least 192 deaths but warned the true figure could be significantly higher.
“Unverified reports suggest that several hundred people, and possibly more than 2,000, may have been killed,” the group said, adding that more than 2,600 protesters had been arrested.
The banned opposition group People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) claimed the death toll exceeded 3,000, a figure that could not be independently verified. Iranian state media, however, reported that dozens of security personnel had been killed, with funerals doubling as pro-government rallies.
Authorities have insisted that calm is gradually returning. Tehran Governor Mohammad-Sadegh Motamedian said on state television that the number of protests was declining, while state broadcasters aired footage of normal traffic and daily activities.
The government has declared three days of national mourning for victims of what it described as “riots,” while organising rallies in support of the Islamic Republic across several cities.
From abroad, Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran’s last shah, urged security forces and civil servants to side with protesters.
“Members of the armed and security forces have a choice: stand with the people or be complicit with the murderers of the people,” he said in a social media post.
Pahlavi also called for Iran’s pre-revolutionary flag to replace the current national emblem at Iranian embassies worldwide. Over the weekend, demonstrators in London briefly replaced the Iranian embassy flag with a banner featuring the Persian lion symbol, prompting Tehran to summon the British ambassador in protest.
