Araghchi made the comments to NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday, responding to a Wall Street Journal report that President Donald Trump could seek to resume bombing Iran after the U.S. Midterm elections. "We stand firm in the face of any new aggression, even if it comes to a doomsday war," Araghchi said.
The remarks come after Trump publicly rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route Iran had offered this week as part of a broader deal. Araghchi said the choice between conflict and negotiation now sits with the American president. "It is up to President Trump to choose," he said.
The standoff leaves the Strait of Hormuz, and the flow of oil through it, hanging on a decision that hasn't been made yet. Millions of barrels a day pass through that waterway. Any renewed fighting could ripple through global energy markets fast.
Araghchi framed Iran's position as defensive but unflinching, warning against underestimating how far his government says it's willing to go. Tehran, he said, isn't afraid to answer Trump's decision either way.