Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Iran currently has no plans to meet with US officials, while confirming that a letter from US Vice President JD Vance, delivered to Iran’s top security official, has been reviewed at high-level meetings.

Araghchi told Al Jazeera on Saturday that Iran has no current plans to hold meetings with American officials, dismissing media speculation about a diplomatic encounter as “mere media guesswork.”

The top diplomat acknowledged that the US side’s effort to open a broader space for dialogue was a “positive step,” but cautioned that if Washington’s goal in sending the message was to stir up discord, “it would be yet another mistake to add to its previous ones.”

Vance’s letter was handed to Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, through Qatari mediators on Sunday. The contents of the letter have not been made public, but multiple US media outlets have reported that it proposed a “framework” for direct negotiations.

The New York Times reported that Vance proposed a meeting between US and Iranian officials in the near future, with Vance leading the US delegation, and insisted that Iran’s nuclear program would have to be on the table from the outset, something Tehran has rejected in the past.

Possible venues mentioned included Qatar or Turkey.

Araghchi said Tehran sees no need for a meeting with the US side at present, insisting that Iran’s conditions are clear. He added that mediators continue their consultations on those conditions.

He made clear that a decision on whether any talks with the US would be direct or indirect would be made only after Washington agrees to Tehran’s terms.

The foreign minister also said an Iranian delegation had traveled to Doha, with his deputy staying in Qatar to continue with consultations.

He thanked Qatar and Pakistan for their sustained efforts and contacts, and said the mediators had put forward proposals on the nuclear issue that Tehran is examining.

Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is the only plan currently on the table, Araghchi said.

The outreach to Iran came amid threats by US President Donald Trump that Washington was considering a short but intense military strike on Iran following the US midterm elections to be held on Tuesday, and Tehran’s threat of a massive and unrestricted response.

Trump himself offered a different characterization when asked about the letter sent by his vice president, alleging to reporters that its purpose related to “medical supplies” for Iran, rather than negotiations.

Top officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey are due in Tehran for a joint meeting aimed at promoting regional security and drawing on Iran’s defense experience, a senior Iranian official says.

Deputy Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Bagheri Kani said the three senior officials are scheduled to meet with SNSC Secretary Major General Mohsen Rezaei and participate in a joint session on Monday.

He added that Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey will be represented respectively by Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, and National Intelligence Organization Director Ibrahim Kalin.

Bagheri Kani explained that the visit and joint meeting aim to advance the idea of ensuring security by regional countries and drawing on Iran’s experience during the 40-day US-Israeli war on Iran.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s defense model, based on its indigenous capabilities, has become a successful model for ensuring national security,” he said.

He once again reiterated that Iran’s strategic policy is based on the need for regional countries to ensure and guarantee their own security.

“Any foreign interference and influence, particularly by the US regime, as well as the role of the illegitimate Zionist regime at any level, disrupt regional security and stability,” the Iranian security official emphasized.

He noted that the meeting of the four countries in Tehran could act as an “important and effective” step toward shaping a regional security framework.

Bagheri Kani added that Iran’s proposal for establishing indigenous security through the participation of regional countries was a result of the success of the Iranian nation and armed forces during the US-Israel war, which began on February 28.

He expressed hope that implementing the initiative would help bring stability and peace to West Asia.

He also explained that during a visit to Tehran last week, the Pakistani Army chief had informed the SNSC secretary about the decision by senior Saudi, Turkish and Pakistani officials to travel to Iran and hold a joint session.

The United States and Israel waged their illegal war of aggression against Iran on February 28.

In response, the Iranian armed forces launched powerful retaliatory attacks against US and Israeli assets in the region, dealing heavy blows to the invading coalition.

US President Donald Trump on Friday said his country may launch “another little Epic Fury” on Iran, referring to the joint Israeli-American military operation that sparked the war with Iran at the end of February.

“We may do another little Epic Fury,” Trump said in remarks at a ​rally in Florida as he ‌spoke about the war.

He did not elaborate but has previously signalled an openness to resuming strikes after a long deadlock in diplomacy – but not before the US congressional elections on November 3.

Source: AFP

The Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Major General Mostafa Izadi, has stated that Iran’s armed forces stand fully prepared to confront any enemy on land, at sea, and in the air, stressing that the United States has suffered failure in Iraq just as it did in Afghanistan.

General Izadi on Thursday recalled the experience of the Sacred Defense, the eight-year war imposed on the Islamic Republic beginning in 1980, saying that should the enemy attack the country, Iranian forces would stand firm until the end, drive the aggressors back, and never allow them to seize even a single inch of Iranian soil.

“Today, too, we stand against the aggression of the criminal United States and the Zionist regime; and, just as in the Sacred Defense, through the self-sacrifice and resistance of the warriors of Islam, we will not permit any form of aggression against our beloved homeland,” he stated.

The senior commander affirmed that, standing alongside the Resistance Front, Iran remains committed until the very end to defending divine values, justice, and truth, and to supporting the oppressed across the region and the world.

He noted that the enemy finds itself in a precarious position and repeatedly advances new claims in an effort to mask this reality.

Highlighting Iran’s comprehensive defensive readiness, General Izadi said a formidable defensive front has been established across all domains — land, sea, air, air defense, and security — throughout the country.

“Just as the enemy suffered defeat in past conflicts, any hostile move — no matter how slight — will once again result in their failure,” he emphasized.

Referring to Iraq’s history of resistance against foreign occupation, he observed that the people of Iraq are the same people who, under the leadership of great religious scholars, once drove the British out of their country.

Major General Izadi, a veteran of the Sacred Defense who was appointed IRGC deputy commander-in-chief by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei in August 2026, has in recent statements also underscored the combat readiness of Iranian forces in southern regions, including firm control over the Strait of Hormuz.

His latest remarks come amid the formal conclusion of the long US military presence in Iraq on September 30, an outcome independent observers have described as a strategic defeat for Washington, comparable to its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, and accelerated by Iranian resistance and victories against recent US-Israeli aggressions.

He added that just as the Americans fled Afghanistan in haste, they have faced a similar situation in Iraq, expressing hope that the Iraqi people, through unity and cohesion, will safeguard their country and their values.

US President Donald Trump has called for Ukraine to elect “a new president,” rebuking Volodymyr Zelensky for repeatedly refusing opportunities to end the war with Russia and disregarding “Washington’s warnings” against attacks on Russian oil refineries.

“I think it’s time for Ukraine to get a new president,” Trump told reporters outside the White House on Saturday.

“Zelensky could have settled this war many times. Many, many times. And he chooses not to,” the US president said.

Trump reiterated his demand later in the day, saying, “He (Zelensky) should have an election,” and again asserting that Zelensky “could’ve solved this war and he could’ve made a deal many times.”

He also criticized Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refining facilities, saying Washington had warned Kiev against targeting the infrastructure because of the consequences for global fuel supplies.

“We said, you can do whatever you want to Russia, don’t hit the refineries,” he said, adding that the attacks have led to a “world problem.” “And what does he do? He goes and hits the diesel fuel.”

Russia launched a “special military operation” in Russian-speaking parts of eastern Ukraine in 2022 in retaliation for Ukraine’s desire to join NATO despite Moscow’s repeated warnings against the Western military alliance’s expansion up to the Russian Federation’s backyard.

Earlier this month, Zelensky said during an interview with Reuters that Ukrainian forces will double down on their attacks targeting Russian oil refineries to deal a blow to the country’s economy.

Trump’s remarks came a day after a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which the two agreed on a deal intended to ease the global fuel crisis.

Following the conversation, the US Treasury temporarily waived sanctions on Russian diesel exports.

According to Trump, Russia agreed to release 300,000 metric tons of diesel immediately, followed by a further 500,000 metric tons next month.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak confirmed that Moscow was prepared to supply fuel to the United States and other international buyers. He also said Russian exports could rise to one million tons by December.

Novak added that Russia would begin lifting its diesel export restrictions ahead of schedule.

Zelensky’s presidential mandate expired in 2024, but he has remained in office, citing “martial law.” Putin has repeatedly argued that the situation could undermine the legitimacy of a future peace agreement signed with Kiev.

The administration of US President Donald Trump has imposed sweeping sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC), intensifying Washington’s campaign against the tribunal over its investigations into crimes involving the United States and its allies, particularly Israel.

The sanctions were announced hours after South African jurist Navi Pillay, a former ICC judge known for her work on human rights and the Israeli genocide in Gaza, won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the measures in a video posted on social media, saying Washington would prohibit transactions with the court in a bid to cut off its resources and cripple its operations.

“We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling their ability to operate against us. Because our message is clear: the United States and the American people are not subject to the jurisdiction of this fake ICC,” Rubio said in a video posted on X. “Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC.”

He urged US allies to support Washington’s campaign, warning that the Trump administration would dismantle the court “brick by brick, until Americans are threatened no longer.”

The sanctions would restrict the ICC’s access to US-based financial services, technology companies and US dollars. US companies and individuals doing business with the court would have six months to wind down their activities, a move that could severely disrupt the tribunal’s operations.

In a statement on Friday, the ICC condemned the US sanctions against the judicial body, describing them as an attempt to obstruct justice and undermine the international legal order, while pledging to continue its work independently and impartially.

The court said the measures targeted an independent judicial institution mandated by 125 UN member states to investigate and prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. It warned that the sanctions could disrupt its operations and intimidate those working for or cooperating with the court.

ICC President Tomoko Akane said the court would continue its work independently and impartially, based on the law and evidence, and appealed to member states to defend the institution.

Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan also denounced the US measures, saying they undermined international law and the work of an independent judicial body. She stressed that the court’s investigations and prosecutions would continue.

International rights groups described the US sanctions as an existential attack and urged governments to take concrete action to protect the tribunal.

The ICC noted that the latest measures followed Washington’s sanctions against 13 of its judges and prosecutors.

Established in 2002 to prosecute genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, the ICC has faced repeated attacks from the Trump administration over its arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials, including prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and its investigation into crimes committed by US personnel during the decades-long war in Afghanistan.

International investigators have sought access to a database of possible war crimes committed by US personnel during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

ICC prosecutors had been set to investigate acts of torture committed under the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) torture program in Afghanistan and at secret detention sites in other ICC member states, including Romania, Lithuania and Poland. The court has deprioritized its investigation into US conduct since 2021.

The sanctions underscore growing tensions between Washington and international institutions seeking accountability for grave crimes, threatening to further strain relations between the United States and some of its European allies.

The European Union described US sanctions against the ICC as “deeply regrettable” and said it was “ready to take any necessary measures to enable the court to carry out its work.”