Iran FM advises adversaries not to repeat past mistakes

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said renewed threats of fresh military aggression against Iran amounted largely to psychological warfare, stressing that previous attempts to coerce the country through either force or sanctions had failed to yield their intended results.

In an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera, which was released in full length on Tuesday, the top diplomat said reports of possible new Israeli aggression were intended “to create fear and agitation inside the country.”

He noted that such threats were not new, recalling decades of warnings from the United States and the Israeli regime that “all options are on the table,” including the military attacks.

According to Araghchi, however, the Iranian public was accustomed to this approach. “For years, perhaps decades, the Americans and Israelis have issued such threats,” he said, reiterating that such approach sought to “stir anxiety and fear in society.”

He noted that the experience of the unprovoked and illegal Israeli-American war against the country in June demonstrated how the military action stopped short of achieving its stated objectives.

The official stressed that the 12-day atrocities amounted to “a failed experience,” adding that repeating a failed course of action would inevitably produce the same outcome.

As a case in point concerning the failure of the war, he recalled that the attacks saw Tel Aviv and Washington deploy their most advanced aircraft and munitions against Iranian underground nuclear facilities without realizing their aims. “They brought their largest bombers, their most advanced fighter jets, and used their strongest bombs,” he said, “yet no result was achieved.”

Citing remarks by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Araghchi said the Islamic Republic’s nuclear technology was domestically developed and damage sustained from the aggression could, hence, be reproduced. “Iran’s nuclear technology is not imported,” he said, underlining that the technology was “the product of Iranian knowledge and Iranian scientists.”

The official noted, meanwhile, that the Islamic Republic did not ignore the possibility of fresh war, asserting that the country was fully prepared to defend itself under any circumstances. “The possibility of war has always existed and certainly exists now as well,” he said, adding that Iran’s Armed Forces and people were “fully prepared” to defend the country.

Araghchi said Iran’s security institutions constantly assessed potential scenarios and briefed the country’s senior officials, ensuring preparedness for all situations. “We consider all possibilities,” he said, noting that decisions were made based on continuous security evaluations.

Referring to the Israeli regime’s Western-backed war of genocide against the Gaza Strip, he said Iran was dealing with adversaries “who recognize no limits in their crimes.”

The official, nevertheless, underlined that Tehran did not pursue conflict and continued to prioritize diplomacy. “This does not mean that we seek war,” Araghchi said, “We certainly seek to resolve issues through diplomacy.”

Recent efforts at revival of diplomacy, Araghchi reminded, were undermined by decisions already taken by the United States and its European allies to return the UN Security Council’s sanctions against Iran as well as their excessive demands.

The official still reiterated that rational actors had to refrain from repeating proven failures. “If there is any rationality,” he said, “repeating a failed experience should not happen.”

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