Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi looks on after a session of the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, on the sideline of a second round of U.S.-Iranian nuclear negotiations in Geneva, on Feb. 17, 2026. Credit - Valentin Flauraud—AFP/Getty Images
Iran is prepared for a possible ground invasion by U.S. troops, the country's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday, asthe war launched by the U.S. and Israelcontinues to escalate.
Araghchi toldNBC Newsthat Iran is ready to counter American forces after U.S. President Donald Trumprefused to rule outthe possibility of boots on the ground earlier this week.
"We are waiting for them," Araghchi said. "Because we are confident that we can confront them, and that would be a big disaster for them."
The U.S. and Israeljointly attackedIran over the weekend,reportedly killing more than 1,000 civiliansin bombings thatappearto havealso hit several schools. Iran's Supreme LeaderAyatollah Ali Khameneias well as dozens of Iranian officials were killed in the attacks. The military campaign, which is ongoing, prompted a wave ofretaliatory strikesfrom Iran across the Middle East, reportedly hitting both U.S. military bases and civilian sites in Gulf states, killing dozens of people, including sixU.S. service members.
The Trump Administration has signaled that the military campaign is likely to be more expansive than initially laid out. Trump told theDaily Mailon Sunday that the campaign could last around four weeks, even as the warappears to be unpopularwith most Americans and as foreign citizens stranded in the Middle Eastscramble to leave the region. And U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said during a Thursday briefing that "the amount of firepower over Iran and over Tehran is about to surge dramatically."
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Araghchi also said that Iran has not asked for a cease-fire and is not interested in negotiating with the U.S., contradicting Trump'sclaimsthat Iranian leaders "want to talk." Iran's top security official Ali Larijani earlier this weekpostedon X: "We will not negotiate with the United States."
"We didn't ask for a cease-fire even last time," Araghchi said, referring to the 12-day war between Israel and Iran last June that was ended by aTrump-announced cease-fire. "It was Israel who asked for a cease-fire. They asked for an unconditional cease-fire after 12 days that we resisted against their aggression."
Iran's hardened position also reflects the fact that nuclear negotiations had in February been renewed—after previously beingdisruptedby last June's conflict, which included thebombing of Iranian nuclear facilities—and were ongoing prior to the U.S. and Israel's attack.
"The fact is that we don't have any positive experience of negotiating with the United States. You know, especially with this administration. We negotiated twice last year and this year, and then in the middle of negotiations, they attacked us," Araghchi said. "So we see no reason why we should engage once again with those who have, who are not honest in negotiation, and they don't and do not enter into negotiation in good faith."
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