Tehran serious about diplomatic path: Araghchi

tehran
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran is “serious about finding diplomatic solutions, just as we are serious about defending ourselves,” Al Jazeera reported on Sunday.
Araghchi said there was no military solution to his country’s conflict with the United States, as talks aimed at ending the war appeared to have reached an impasse, AFP reported.
“If our enemies again choose the path of military confrontation, our response will be stronger than before, and we will defend ourselves with even more force,” Araghchi said at a gathering of foreign ambassadors.
“There is no military solution, nor any solution based on new sanctions,” he added.
Iran to increase the range of its missiles, army spokesperson tells Fars
Iran will upgrade the range of its missiles following the war with the US, as American forces are now positioned as much as 1,000 km (621 miles) away from the Iranian coast, Army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia told Fars news on Sunday.
“During this war, we concluded that we absolutely must increase the range of our missiles, and we have now moved in that direction,” he said.
Iran says Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until Islamabad MoU conditions are met: Nournews
The Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until seven Iranian conditions set out in a June interim agreement with the US are met, Nournews reported Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said on Sunday, a few days after Tehran received Washington’s reply to its diplomatic proposal.
“The Americans, who say something different in the media, have recently put forward proposals through a mediator. But they must understand that the period of dragging out the process and dictating one-sided demands is over,” Ghalibaf was quoted as saying.
“The position of the Islamic Republic of Iran is completely clear and firm, and the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until our seven conditions, based on the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, are met.”
Iran ready to “both fight and negotiate,” says parliament speaker
Iran’s parliament speaker said on Sunday that Tehran is “neither excited nor intimidated” by the US’ actions, stressing that Iran is prepared to “both fight and negotiate.”
“We are present in the military battlefield with all our strength and we will face them with new surprises, and we use the tools of diplomacy to establish our superiority in the military field and impose the rights of the Iranian people,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf told parliament, according to Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Iran army plans volunteer training programme for “national defence”
The Iranian army plans to begin training volunteers under a programme aimed at preparing citizens for “national defence”, Al Jazeera reported, citing the West Asia News Agency (WANA).