Tehran, May 8 — Iran’s foreign ministry official Seyed Abbas Araghchi accused the United States on Friday of repeatedly choosing military actions just as diplomatic solutions are within reach. In a post on X, Araghchi questioned whether Washington’s moves were a “crude pressure tactic” or the work of a spoiler misleading the US president into a new quagmire, and said such actions consistently sacrifice diplomacy.
Araghchi also disputed assessments attributed to the CIA about Iran’s missile forces, saying the agency’s 75 percent figure is incorrect. He asserted Iran’s missile inventory and launcher capacity stand at 120 percent compared with Feb. 28, and declared Iran’s readiness to defend its people at “1,000 percent.”
Separately, maritime monitoring group TankerTrackers reported that three empty National Iranian Tanker Company vessels breached the US naval blockade over the past two days, transiting back to Iran via Pakistan’s exclusive economic zone before entering Iranian waters. The group said the three tankers have a combined capacity to carry substantial fuel loads.
In Washington, US President Donald Trump maintained that a ceasefire with Iran remains in effect despite recent clashes near the Strait of Hormuz, and warned that any collapse of the truce would be obvious. Speaking during an unannounced visit to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, he said a serious escalation would be visible from afar and downplayed the latest confrontation, saying US forces had responded decisively and characterizing the incident as a minor provocation.
On prospects for a formal agreement, the president said a deal with Iran remains uncertain: it “might not happen, but it could happen any day,” signaling that diplomatic talks are ongoing but unsettled.
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