Amid the brewing tensions in West Asia, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that the country is focusing on ’targeting American interests in the region’

Amid the brewing tensions in
West Asia, Iran’s Foreign Minister
Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that the country is focusing on “targeting American interests in the region”. While speaking to state television, Araghchi laid out Iran’s plan in the conflict. He maintained that any country that shares American interests will be considered a “legitimate target” by Iran.

“Wherever we find American interests, we will target them, and any country that shares in these interests will be considered a legitimate target by us,” the Iranian diplomat told state TV. In the Wednesday interview, he maintained that Iran wants to end the war with the United States and Israel “on its own terms”. One of the key things Iran is looking at is ensuring guarantees from both the “aggressors” that such attacks won’t repeat.

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“We seek an end to the war on our own terms, of course, and in a way that it will not be repeated here again,” he told state TV. He maintained that Iran did not plan to negotiate with the US and intended to keep fighting, after the White House said talks were ongoing.

#BREAKING
FM @araghchi: Wherever we find American interests, we will target them, and any country that shares in these interests will be considered a legitimate target by us. pic.twitter.com/NUufG1BwCy

— Tehran Times (@TehranTimes79) March 25, 2026

“At present, our policy is the continuation of resistance”, Araghchi said. “We do not intend to negotiate – so far, no negotiations have taken place, and I believe our position is completely principled.” “Speaking of negotiations now is an admission of defeat,” he said.

The struggle to sit at the negotiation table

On Wednesday, the White House threatened to “unleash hell” on Iran if it did not negotiate a peace deal with the US. “Talks continue. They are productive,” US Press Secretary
Karoline Leavitt declared in one of the press briefings.

Meanwhile, Pakistani officials earlier said that Islamabad had conveyed to Tehran an American 15-point plan to stop the fighting that began on February 28. Leavitt, on the other hand, said there were “elements of truth” to reports of the 15-point proposal.

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Commenting on the plan, Araghchi said: “These were presented in the form of various ideas, all of which have been conveyed to the senior officials of the country, and if a position must be taken, it will certainly be decided.”

He maintained that messages were “being exchanged through friendly countries or through certain different individuals” but insisted that “this is neither called dialogue nor negotiation”. The foreign minister also said that while Iran might be able to secure security guarantees ratified by the UN Security Council, Tehran had created its own guarantees in the way it fought the war.

“In this war, we showed the world that no one can provoke the Islamic Republic, and in fact, we created a security shield for ourselves so that the whole world understood that provoking the Islamic Republic and playing with our interests carries heavy consequences,” he said.

Iran rejects American ceasefire proposal

Araghchi’s remarks came after reports emerged that Iran had rejected the US ceasefire proposal on Wednesday and countered with a negotiating plan of its own, as intermediaries sought to keep diplomatic channels between the warring nations open. Iranian state TV quoted an anonymous official as saying Tehran had rejected the plan it had received via Pakistan, saying it would “end the war when it decides to do so and when its own conditions are met”, and until then would continue fighting across the region.

The five-point plan reportedly put forward by Iran included an end to the fighting and the assassination of its officials, guarantees that no other war is started against it, reparations for the current conflict, and Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz.

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In the Wednesday briefing, Leavitt suggested the US was sticking to its four- to six-week timeframe for ending the war, saying it had been a “resounding victory” so far. It was announced that Donald Trump’s rescheduled trip to Beijing would take place on 14 May, leading to speculation that the US hoped the war would be over by then.

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