Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran has not sought a ceasefire or negotiations with the United States, contradicting claims by Donald Trump that Tehran wanted to make a deal.
“We have never asked for a ceasefire. We have never asked even for negotiation,” Araghchi said in an interview with CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday (Monday AEDT).
It follows remarks by Donald Trump late on Saturday night that Iran wanted to make a deal, but he was not ready “because the terms are not good enough yet”.
“Iran wants to make a deal, and I don’t want to make it because the terms aren’t good enough yet,” Trump told NBC News during a phone interview late on Saturday.
Araghchi denied the claims on Sunday, saying: “We don’t see any reason why we should talk with Americans, because we were talking with them when they decided to attack us.
“This is a war of choice by President Trump and the United States, and we are going to continue our self-defence.”
