Iran's FM says Tehran not seeking ceasefire, sees no reason to negotiate with US

TEHRAN -- Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said that his country is not requesting a ceasefire with the United States and Israel, and does not see any reason to negotiate with Washington.

He made the remarks in an interview with US broadcaster NBC News aired on Thursday.

"We are not asking for a ceasefire, and we don't see any reason why we should negotiate with the United States when we negotiated with them twice, and every time, they attacked us in the middle of the negotiations," Araghchi said.

Regarding the possibility of a ground invasion by the United States against Iran, Araghchi said, "We are waiting for them because we are confident that we can confront them, and that would be a big disaster for them."

He added that Iran was fully ready for the ongoing conflict and is prepared for any other eventuality, even a ground invasion, emphasizing that the country's armed forces are ready for any scenario.

Meanwhile, Iran said Thursday that the Navy of its Islamic Revolution Guards Corps has targeted the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier with drones 340 km off the country's territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman.

Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters told state-run IRIB TV that after being hit with the Iranian drones, the aircraft carrier, along with its destroyers, quickly fled and is currently over 1,000 km away from the region.

The developments follow joint US-Israeli strikes on Tehran and several other Iranian cities starting Saturday morning, leading to the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, some of his family members, top military commanders, and civilians. Iran responded through several waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US assets in the region.