Iran's foreign minister revealed that he has not yet met the new Supreme Leader in person and added that if Iran cannot decisively win the war through military means, negotiations would likely be necessary.
On Sunday, 19 Jul 2026 GMT+7, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs, gave interviews on several topics, including the security gaps that allowed Israel to target the country's leadership early in the war, and the fact that he has never directly met Mojtaba Khamenei, the new Supreme Leader.
Podcast host Shahad Moghuyi asked about negotiations with U.S. representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in February before the war began. Araghchi said, "I told Witkoff, 'Have you ever attended a meeting where there was a real possibility of being bombed at any moment?'"
Asked about the U.S. and Israeli attacks starting on 28 Feb, Araghchi said the bombing of the leadership compound in Tehran, which killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and many family members that February, "occurred due to security vulnerabilities, and those vulnerabilities still remain."
Araghchi confirmed that Iran had planned "from the start" to close the Strait of Hormuz if the country's leadership became a target of attacks. Upon learning of Khamenei's death, he immediately contacted foreign ministries in regional countries and informed them that Iran would attack U.S. military bases, emphasizing that "this operation is a direct action against America."
When asked about meeting the new Supreme Leader, the foreign minister replied, "I have not yet met 'Agha' (the Leader) Mojtaba myself during his tenure. Very few people have actually had the chance to meet him."
Regarding military readiness, Araghchi claimed, "During the eight months between the two wars—the 12-day war in June 2025 and the most recent war in February 2026—Iran's missile launcher systems were modified so that no matter how many missiles we fire, our supply will never run out."
Araghchi affirmed that throughout the war, he and the deputy foreign minister "never left the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building. Each day, we patrolled the city for several hours, and I could never put my phone down."
About future plans, the Iranian foreign minister emphasized, "If we are not capable of achieving a decisive military victory, we must negotiate. However, negotiations should occur when you hold the advantage on the battlefield."
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Source:cnn