If the US is ready for honest and fair negotiations, then Iran is always ready. But if aggression occurs, then an appropriate response will be given. Iranian ambassador to Armenia Khalil Shirgholami stated this during a get-together with lecturers and students of the Faculty of International Relations of Yerevan State University on Thursday.

According to Shirgholami, the era when one country could make decisions for other countries and the whole world is over.

“There is nothing good in war, but we cannot force our civilization to surrender,” noted the Iranian envoy to Armenia.

He recalled that in recent weeks the US has deployed large military forces around Iran. Shirgholami called this a manifestation of US President Donald Trump’s approach, according to which peace is established through force.

“If we try to decipher this approach, it boils down to the pursuit of dominance through force. At the same time, US president’s special envoy Steve Witkoff recently stated that Trump was surprised by Iran’s resilience and the fact that Iran does not surrender,” the Iranian diplomat added.

In his view, the US calculation was that if a country amasses a large military force on the borders of another country, the latter should be afraid and surrender. Shirgholami explained that this approach is linked to misconceptions about Iran.

“When you are dealing with ancient civilizations [like Iran], in such a case, the ‘business approach’ does not work. In the case of civilizations with a history of 7,000 years, this approach will not work. Our [i.e. the Iranians] identity is our pride, and the ‘business logic’ cannot be applied to ancient civilizations. That is why Iran is not afraid of a large-scale military presence near its borders," said the Iranian ambassador to Armenia.