Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has warned the United States that Iran is ready to confront American troops if the US launches a ground invasion, calling such a move a potential 'big disaster' for Washington.
Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has warned that Tehran is prepared to confront American troops if the United States launches a ground invasion, saying such a move would be a 'big disaster' for Washington.
Responding to remarks by US President Donald Trump suggesting the possibility of deploying American troops on Iranian soil, Araghchi said Iran was not intimidated by the threat.
In an interview with NBC TV, Araghchi said, 'We are not afraid. We are waiting for American soldiers in Iran.'
'We are confident that we can confront them. It will be a big disaster for them.'
Araghchi said Iran's military is more prepared now than during what he described as the previous conflict, referring to the 12-day war with Israel from June 13 to June 24, 2025.
According to him, Iran has significantly upgraded its missile capabilities since then.
'We are more ready than the previous war,' he said. 'You must have seen the quality of our missiles upgraded after the last war. Our soldiers are ready for any scenario.'
However, he stressed that readiness for war does not mean Iran is seeking continued conflict.
'Waiting does not mean we want the war to continue,' Araghchi said. 'But we have prepared ourselves to confront any eventuality.'
The Iranian foreign minister also said Tehran was not seeking a ceasefire and currently sees no reason to negotiate with the United States.
'Iran is not asking for a ceasefire,' Araghchi said. 'Why should we negotiate with the US? We negotiated with them twice in the past and every time after negotiations they attacked us.'
Iran, Araghchi added, has not sent any messages to Washington regarding possible talks.
Asked whether Americans should worry about possible attacks on US territory, Araghchi suggested Iran's focus would remain on regional dynamics.
'The Americans have enough army bases around Iran,' he said. 'They have enough soldiers and military bases in the Gulf region, so Iran does not need to go beyond that.'
Araghchi also addressed concerns over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil shipments.
Iran, he said, has not closed the strait but acknowledged that tanker traffic has declined due to security fears.
'We have not closed it, but ships and tankers are not passing through because they are concerned,' he said. 'For the time being we have no intention to close it. As the war continues, we will consider every scenario.'
When asked whether international oil tankers could become Iranian targets, Araghchi said they were not.
'The oil tankers are concerned and therefore they are not passing through the Strait of Hormuz because they fear they will be hit by either side,' he added.
Araghchi also revealed that indirect diplomacy between Iran and the United States had stalled following a recent meeting.
'Not after last Thursday (February 26, two days before war started),' he said, referring to negotiations that lasted about seven hours.
Both sides had made 'significant progress', and the meeting had ended on a positive note.
'But I don't know what happened after they left,' Araghchi said, adding that war began shortly after the negotiations concluded.