Iran official says war avoidable, seeks nuclear deal (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Dr. Arci, thank you very much for the opportunity for this interview. We're obviously in very delicate times right now between the United States and Iran. As we sit here, how big is the threat of a war between the two countries?

[00:00:13] Speaker 2: And I think war is not inevitable, and it can be avoided first. Second, I'm not concerned about war. I'm concerned about why, because we are fully prepared for that. We are prepared even more than before the 12-day war. And I believe that the best way to prevent a war is to be prepared for that. So when I say that we are prepared for the war, it doesn't mean that we want war. But we want to prevent the war. So I'm not concerned about war. What I'm concerned about is miscalculations and military operation based on misinformation and disinformation campaigns. It is obvious to us that there are certain elements, certain parties, who want to drag President Trump into this war for their own benefits. And I think President Trump is wise enough to make a correct decision.

[00:01:27] Speaker 1: One of the ways to prevent miscalculations is for direct talks. The United States has said that it wants direct talks with Iran. How can a meaningful negotiations process be jump-started right now?

[00:01:40] Speaker 2: A meaningful negotiation should be based on trust. And unfortunately, we have lost our trust to the United States as a negotiating partner. And the reason is obvious. We negotiated in 2015. Everybody celebrated that when we concluded a deal, JCPOA. And the U.S. withdrew with no justification. That belongs to 10 years ago. Let's talk about last year, only 10 months ago, when in June we decided to negotiate with the United States. And we were negotiating when they decided to attack us. First Israel and then the U.S. joined. So we don't have any good experience, any positive experience of talking with Americans. And in order to have a meaningful negotiation, we need to overcome this mistrust. There are now some intermediators, some friendly countries in the region who are trying to build this confidence. It is difficult, but they are trying. So I see the possibility of another talk if the U.S. negotiation team follows what President Trump said. To come to a fair and equitable deal to ensure that there is no nuclear weapons. This is what he said in one of his latest posts. So if that is the case, I'm confident that we can achieve a deal.

[00:03:28] Speaker 1: So if this confidence is built, if you get to that stage, you are ready and willing to sit down directly with the American side, with someone like Whitkoff, and talk.

[00:03:41] Speaker 2: The question of directly and indirectly is something else. That is the form of negotiation. But that's what they say, they want that. But we have to take care of the substance of negotiation. And that is more important. We need to have confidence. And I don't think we can come to a point that the full confidence is restored. But at least some sort of confidence. And we are now working with our friends in the region to find a method that can bring about some extent of confidence so we can restart negotiations.

[00:04:19] Speaker 1: Yeah, and President Trump says that negotiations are already going on. He has said overnight that there is negotiations taking place. How does that work right now, with this confidence building, with countries in the region also helping?

[00:04:30] Speaker 2: That is through intermediators. As I said, there are some countries who convey messages and who are trying to build confidence and to prepare the ground for a meaningful negotiation. And we are working with them. And we are exchanging messages.

[00:04:45] Speaker 1: Would you say that these talks that are going on right now are fruitful and can lead to a de-escalation of the situation to a point where real talks can take place? I think so far, yes, fruitful. President Trump says he is looking to not use the military force that is currently stationed around Iran, not just on aircraft carriers but elsewhere, if there can be an acceptable deal. What would be an acceptable deal for Iran, as far as nuclear is concerned, as far as?

[00:05:12] Speaker 2: As I said, the same deal that he mentioned, a fair and equitable deal to ensure no nuclear weapons. That is achievable.

[00:05:20] Speaker 1: Things like enrichment, things like ballistic missiles, things like proxy forces in the region. I know that the United States has talked about wanting to negotiate about that as well. Is that completely out of the question for you? Or is that something you can at least talk about?

[00:05:35] Speaker 2: President Trump said no nuclear weapons. And we fully agree with that. And we can negotiate on our nuclear program to ensure that there is no nuclear weapons, to ensure that it is peaceful and would remain peaceful forever. That could be a very good deal. Of course, in return, we expect sanction lifting. So that deal is possible. Let's do not talk about impossible things. Let's focus on something which is possible. And do not lose the opportunity to achieve a fair and equitable deal to ensure no nuclear weapons. That, as I said, and I repeat, that is achievable, even in a short period of time.

[00:06:20] Speaker 1: So you think there could be, in a short period of time, negotiations could start, a venue could be designated. You could sit down directly or indirectly with them and come to an agreement fairly quickly that would give you, presumably you would want sanctions relief in return for all of this.

[00:06:36] Speaker 2: Of course, that is the purpose.

[00:06:37] Speaker 1: What's Iran looking to get out of it otherwise?

[00:06:38] Speaker 2: That is the purpose of negotiation for us. First, of course, we want our rights to be, you know, respected. And secondly, sanctions be lifted. Sanctions are imposed because there are concerns that our program may go for weapons. As far as we are concerned, this is not the case. But we are ready to build confidence on our nuclear program. And of course, in return, we expect sanction lifting. And as I said, if enrichment, our right for enrichment is respected and recognized and we can continue our enrichment for peaceful purposes, then every details of that is negotiable. And we can sit together in any form and come to a conclusion. That is my belief.

[00:07:30] Speaker 1: Iran is obviously a very powerful country in this region and also all the way into Europe and other places. The United States obviously has a lot of power here as well. Wouldn't it be important for these two powerful players in the region to speak about regional issues, to speak about regional military issues as well? As a general de-escalation maybe.

[00:07:52] Speaker 2: Well, to be honest with you, we believe that the source of all these conflicts, tensions, everything in our region is foreign forces who have entered into this region. We respect our neighbors and we are, we have always been ready to engage with our neighbors in the region and talk about the security, the peace and stability and everything regarding the region. But with the countries of the region, this is our business. This is the business of the region and we have to deal with that together with our regional players. So this is our position and we have already been in touch with our neighbors and other players, major players in particular. And we have good discussion and we are ready to even form some sort of a structure to talk with each other about the peace and stability. Look, peace and stability in this region is as important and vital for us as it is important for others. We are a country next to the Persian Gulf and that, you know, body of water is important for us to export our oil, to do, you know, business with others. Straight up almost is very, very important also for us and for the whole world. And we have always kept it, you know, safe and have guaranteed safe passage thanks to the IRGC who is protecting, you know, the safe passage and freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz. And we continue to do so and I hope that nothing would happen which interrupt that.

[00:09:39] Speaker 1: What do you think the consequences would be if there was a full-on military confrontation between Iran and the United States? Because I know your military has changed its doctrine that if there is a major attack, it would be considered existential for the Islamic Republic. What would that mean for the region here, which is prosperous but at the same time volatile?

[00:09:57] Speaker 2: Well, I don't believe that that would be an existential threat but it would be a big threat for everybody. If war starts, that would be a disaster for everybody. In the previous war, we tried hard to limit the scope of war between Iran and Israel. This time, if it is between Iran and the U.S., since the U.S. bases are spread all over the region, then inevitably, you know, many parts of the region would be involved, engaged, and that could be very dangerous. So I don't even want to think about that. Let's hope that wisdom would prevail. We are prepared for any eventuality and I am telling that with 100% confidence. Our armed forces are ready and prepared, even more than the previous war. You know, our missiles were tested in a real war last time and we were able to, you know, understand their problems, their weak points, and their strengths. So we learned many lessons from those 12 days of war and I think we are now very well prepared. But again, being prepared doesn't mean that we want war. We want to prevent a war.

[00:11:31] Speaker 1: President Trump set all of this in motion after the demonstrations that happened here in the early part of January. We've been around, we went, for instance, to the cemetery, the Tehran Cemetery, and there were people there who were grieving and who said that their loved ones had been killed by security forces. How are you going to mitigate this situation?

[00:11:54] Speaker 2: Well, the government is actually working on that. But I have to clarify that we had 10 days of peaceful demonstrations and protests. Sometimes even went violent, which was tolerable. And the government engaged with the protesters' leaders to see how they can find solutions for their grievances and problems. But since 8th of January to 10th, these three days was completely different. We faced a completely different story. There were, you know, terrorist elements, militias who entered to these demonstrations with guns and they started to shoot at our police forces and security forces. And we had no way but to confront them because they were equipped with different kind of weapons. They received instructions from outside. As I said in my previous interviews, we considered these three days as the continuation of those 12 days of war. That was an operation led by Mossad from outside. And of course, we crashed that operation, that Mossad operation. Unfortunately, a number of people were killed. Many of them was even killed by those elements who had the instruction to increase the number of deaths. Why? Because President Trump had said that if there is killing, he would come to rescue. And because of that, they started to, you know, increase the number of deaths to tell him that, look, there are killings. Come on. Drag him into this war. And that was an Israeli plot. Those who have been killed, it's very unfortunate. The government has declared all of them as martyrs except those who, those elements which were either came from outside or received instructions from outside. So about 2,500 are already known as martyrs and the government is taking care of them. And also, the government is trying to introduce plans and programs to, you know, answer to the complaints and grievances of the people. So, you know, this peace which we have had since 10th January till now would continue.

[00:14:31] Speaker 1: President Trump said he's also concerned about the rights of those who are in custody. As you know, he said that he believes that he prevented hangings from taking place here in Iran. Can you guarantee the rights of those who have been detained and whose cases are being looked into right now?

[00:14:45] Speaker 2: Of course. First of all, there was no plan for executions or hangings. And this is what I said in my interview with Fox News. So there were no plan as such. And right now, I can, you know, affirm that the right of each and every person who is arrested and detained would be observed and guaranteed.

[00:15:17] Speaker 1: The final question is, we've been talking so much about possible war, about confrontation. If you come to a solution with the Trump administration, what do you think it would mean for this region, for its stability, for the benefits of all people of the region?

[00:15:33] Speaker 2: Of course, I do believe. I do believe that if we come to some sort of understanding and remove these misunderstandings, these miscalculations, these unnecessary concerns, then there is huge possibilities for economic cooperation between Iran and the United States, between Iran and its partners in the region. You know, as a matter of principle, we have no problem to do business with American enterprises. You perhaps remember that after the JCPOA, we immediately signed a contract with Boeing to buy, I think, something more than 80 aircrafts. And the deal was signed. The contract was signed. So in principle, we have no problem for American enterprises to enter into our energy sector, to our transportation sector, or whatever. The United States has problem because of their, you know, primary sanctions against Iran. They don't let American companies to work with Iran unless they receive a special license or whatever. So if you can come to a deal, the sanctions are lifted, I see huge opportunity for everybody to do business with Iran. We have a very, you know, interesting energy industry full of opportunities, and I see that for the benefit of the whole region. Thank you very much, sir. My pleasure. Thank you. Thank you.