Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said on Monday that President Trump could end Israel’s attacks on Iran and pave the way for diplomacy with “one phone call” to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“Benjamin Netanyahu is a wanted war criminal. He is also a con man who has duped successive US Presidents into fighting his own wars for almost three decades,” Aragchi wrote on X.
The Iranian diplomat said that the “purpose of Netanyahu’s criminal attack on Iran—killing hundreds of innocent civilians, including women and children—is to scuttle a DEAL between Iran and the US, which we were on the right path to achieve.”
Israel launched its campaign in Iran two days before the US and Iran were set to hold another round of nuclear talks, where Iranian officials were expected to present a counter-proposal to an American offer.
Aragchi said Iran would halt its strikes on Israel if Israel stopped its attacks. “Israel must halt its aggression, and absent a total cessation of military aggression against us, our responses will continue. It takes one phone call from Washington to muzzle someone like Netanyahu. That may pave the way for a return to diplomacy,” he said.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Tehran would be willing to return to talks with the Trump administration if the US doesn’t join in on Israel’s attacks, but it’s unlikely Iran would do that without an end to the Israeli bombardment. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shown no indication that he’d be ready to end the war, and he rejected the idea of the US and Iran resuming talks.
“They want to continue to have these fake talks in which they lie, they cheat, they string the US along,” Netanyahu said.
For his part, President Trump has said that he wants to see a deal with Iran, though there’s no indication he’s putting any pressure on Israel to stop the attacks. Trump has also said that it’s “possible” that the US will join the war directly, and his military appears to be preparing for that eventuality.
The US has supported Israel’s attacks by providing weapons, intelligence, and helping intercept missiles and drones, but so far, there have been no US airstrikes on Iran. For the time being, Tehran has also refrained from targeting US bases in the region.
Aragchi vowed that if the conflict continues, Iran is ready to fight. “Let us not forget: Iran did NOT begin this war and has no interest in perpetuating bloodshed. But we will proudly fight to the last drop of blood to protect our land, our people, our dignity and our achievements,” he said.
