Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in an interview released on Sunday (July 19) that the United States and Israel can "neither threaten nor bribe us," recounting that in the first days of the war officials were cut off from communications and scrambling to learn who had survived.
The interview was conducted by Iranian documentary maker Javad Mogouyi for a YouTube series called "The Story of War."
Araqchi said he first saw the president three days after the war began and met other senior figures later, mentioning veteran Iranian politician Ali Larijani, who was later killed in an Israeli strike.
Araqchi said envoys tried to "bribe the Islamic Republic" in negotiations before the 12-day war, but insisted Iran's enrichment is "not for sale," citing years of sanctions and sacrifices by Iranian scientists.
Despite the conflict, Araqchi said there has been "no change" in Iran's policies or principles. He added that "friends and enemies" told him Iran "emerged stronger," saying the country had shown its real power by make the world realise that Iran's "atomic bomb is the Strait of Hormuz."
