We have to take into consideration that Iran already has an arsenal of ballistic missiles that can reach the sea. If they are under threat, as [top Iranian security official] Ali Shamkhani and others have said, the possibility of widening this confrontation is very big. In the past, we used to talk about Iran’s influence in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Regardless of the curbing of Iran’s influence in the region, it still has this influence. We heard from these factions allied to Iran that they are ready to be part of this war. On the other side, Iran’s ballistic missiles can reach Israel. To Iran, Israel is part of this whole battle. So, the moment a war is going to happen, no one knows the ceiling of such a confrontation.
Israeli emergency teams work at the site of an Iranian missile strike on a residential building complex in Tel Aviv, Israel, in June [File: Abir Sultan/EPA]
Iran prepared to talk ‘with dignity’, but also to fight
Over the past hours, there have been many messages conveyed between Iran and the United States through mediators, mostly regional ones. There’s been a lot of effort in this regard. However, the issue is that the gap between them is still very big. President Trump’s demands aren’t close to what Iran is ready to accept – especially when it comes to the zero nuclear enrichment issue and limiting the number and range of ballistic missiles. There’s an even bigger problem that the US has been building up its military presence in the region for the past week, and the threat is very high. There is an attempt from the Iranians, clearly, to say they are ready to talk, but to talk with dignity, and they are also ready to fight. That’s what we’ve heard from several Iranian officials, including Foreign Minister Araghchi and now Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi [File: Ozan Kose/AFP]
‘Mutual respect’ needed: Iranian embassy warns US while stressing openness to nuclear talks
Iran’s embassy in The Hague, the Netherlands, has said the country is prepared to defend itself forcefully while remaining open to diplomacy, as tensions with the United States continue to rise.
In a post on X, the embassy said Iran remains committed to what it described as a fair agreement free from threats, as well as the peaceful use of nuclear technology. It added that Tehran is seeking dialogue based on “mutual respect”.
The post also pointed to the US record in previous conflicts, saying Washington paid a “heavy price” for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, citing trillions of dollars in spending and thousands of lives lost.
While stressing its preference for diplomacy, the embassy warned that Iran would respond decisively if provoked, saying it would defend itself “like never before”.