Abbas Araghchi says security forces defused bomb placed outside his house
The Iranian foreign minister said on Sunday that he had survived an assassination attempt during the recent 12-day war with Israel.
Asked in an interview on the state television about whether he had been subjected to an assassination attempt, Abbas Araghchi said that a bomb had been placed outside his house.
“But friends (security forces) took control of it,” he said.
Regarding the assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last year, Araghchi said that a meeting was held in the presence of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei following the incident, where a consensus was reached on the necessity of responding to Israel.
The top diplomat said that different opinions occurred among the Iranian officials on when and how to respond to Israel.
"The army commanders believed that the attack should be carried out when we have full confidence in our ability to defend the country,” Araghchi said.
In response to a question on nuclear negotiations with the US despite opposition from the supreme leader, the foreign minister said that “the US practiced a policy of maximum pressure and threatened to deploy military forces in the region.”
“At this point, the leader (Khameni) stepped in and said that ‘We will have negotiations, but indirectly.’”
Talks between Iran and the US were being held through Omani mediators until Israel’s surprise attack on Iran on June 13, which triggered a 12-day war, targeting military, nuclear, and civilian sites as well as senior military commanders and nuclear scientists.
Tehran launched retaliatory missile and drone strikes, while the US bombed three Iranian nuclear sites.
The conflict came to a halt under a US-sponsored ceasefire that took effect on June 24.
