TEHRAN – Speaking in Hamadan at the celebratory parades commemorating the 46th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution on Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared, “The Islamic Revolution was founded to ensure no foreign power could dictate terms to Iran.”

He reaffirmed Iran’s foreign policy principle of “Neither East nor West”—prioritizing autonomy over subjugation.

Araghchi condemned the U.S.’s “bad faith” in negotiations, citing Washington’s 2018 withdrawal from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“Trusting the U.S. again is irrational,” he asserted, emphasizing that Iran’s refusal to engage under sanctions stems from strategic calculation, not stubbornness.

“Why negotiate under duress unless to surrender?” he asked, dismissing the U.S.’s “maximum pressure” as a failed tactic to coerce sovereign defiance.