Iran ‘not seeking war but fully prepared for war’: FM

Iran is fully prepared for conflict but also ready for negotiations, its foreign minister said on Monday, as US President Donald Trump said the Iranian leadership was seeking talks after he threatened to intervene militarily over a crackdown on protests.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran is not seeking war but is fully prepared for war," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told a conference of foreign ambassadors in Tehran broadcast by state TV. "We are also ready for negotiations but these negotiations should be fair, with equal rights and based on mutual respect."

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said Sunday that Iran's leadership had called seeking "to negotiate" after his threats of military action amid mass anti-government protests in the Islamic republic.

"The leaders of Iran called" yesterday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that "a meeting is being set up... They want to negotiate."

However, Trump added that "we may have to act before a meeting."

Source: AFP