Araghchi: We Will Never Bow to Pressure or Threats

WANA (May 14) – Speaking at the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi today, Iran’s Foreign Minister said there is no military solution to any issue involving Iran and stressed that “we will never bow to any pressure or threat.” He added that it should now be clear to everyone that Iran is invincible and emerges stronger and more united whenever it comes under pressure.

Abbas Araghchi, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, addressed the BRICS foreign ministers’ meeting in New Delhi on Thursday.

He stated: “As you have all witnessed, my country has twice been subjected within less than a year to brutal and illegal aggression by the United States and Israel.”

Araghchi added that the attacks against Iran had been justified by false claims that contradicted both the informed assessments of the International Atomic Energy Agency and even the evaluations of U.S. intelligence agencies themselves. “The reality is that Iran, like many independent nations, has become a victim of unlawful expansionism and warmongering,” he said.

The Iranian foreign minister continued: “These are ugly phenomena that have no place in today’s world. Those pursuing reckless adventurism may imagine such actions serve their geopolitical interests, but as nations and governments across the world now understand, regional instability is a lose-lose situation for everyone — including the aggressors themselves.”

“We Did Not Surrender to Dominating Powers”

Referring to Iran’s response, Araghchi said: “In the face of this horrific violence, the Iranian people have defended themselves with resilience and dignity. Did we retreat from our ideal of independence? Did we surrender to the will and whims of hegemonic powers? The answer is clear: we never have, and we never will.”

He added that he came from “an ancient land whose leaders have stood courageously beside their people in pursuit of justice, independence, and the defense of sovereignty and territorial integrity, sacrificing their lives for national and historic ideals.”

“I speak on behalf of an Iran whose armed forces, healthcare workers, teachers, and law enforcement personnel never once placed their own safety above saving the lives of the people they were duty-bound to protect, proudly serving on the front lines of humanity,” he said.

People ride motorcycles near a billboard featuring an image of the late Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran, May 11, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)

“Iran Is Invincible”

Araghchi further declared: “I speak for a people who, under relentless bombardment, chose resistance; for the mothers of Minab who did not collapse under the grief of losing their children; for young people who refuse to let the dust of war erase their bright future; and for a nation that, despite all pressures, still believes in a free, stable, and just world.”

“It should now be clear to all that Iran is invincible and that whenever it is put under pressure, it emerges stronger and more united than before,” he said. “Just as we are fully prepared to defend our freedom and homeland with all our strength, we are equally committed to pursuing and safeguarding diplomacy.”

Reiterating his position, Araghchi said: “As I have emphasized many times, there is no military solution to any issue concerning Iran. We Iranians will never bow to pressure or threats, but we do respond to respect with respect. Although our powerful armed forces are ready to deliver a crushing and devastating response to foreign aggressors, our people are peace-loving and do not seek war. In this shameful situation, we are not the aggressors; we are the party that has been wronged and attacked.”

“Declining Imperial Powers Want to Turn Back Time”

The foreign minister also said that over the past year he had attended two BRICS meetings to express Iran’s belief that BRICS symbolizes the emergence of a new global order in which the Global South is one of the principal architects of the world’s future.

“What was once considered an ambitious vision has now become reality,” he said, “but it remains a fragile one. Declining imperial powers want to turn back time, and as they face their own decline, they react with increasingly aggressive desperation.”

According to Araghchi, Iran’s struggle is not only about defending itself but also about defending all BRICS members and the new world order they seek to build.

“Our brave soldiers have sacrificed their lives in confronting Western hegemony and the sense of immunity the United States believes it enjoys,” he said, while thanking BRICS countries for their support and solidarity.

“The Time Has Come to End Bullying”

Araghchi noted that resistance against U.S. pressure is familiar to many countries represented at the meeting.

“Many of us face different forms of the same hateful coercion and pressure. The time has now come for us to work together to make it clear that such behavior belongs in the dustbin of history,” he said.

He added that nations are now closer to one another than ever before and cannot ignore the common and dangerous threat they collectively face.

“Genocide, Violations of Sovereignty, and Open Piracy”

Araghchi argued that declining empires spare no effort to avoid their inevitable fate.

“The wounded beast, in its downfall, lashes out in desperation,” he said, claiming that the West has either openly pursued or shamelessly supported tragedies across the Global South in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

“What was once considered unimaginable and deeply disgraceful is now either ignored or openly accepted in Western capitals: horrifying genocides, shocking violations of national sovereignty, and blatant piracy on international waters.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi attended the BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting in New Delhi. Social media /WANA News Agency

Call for BRICS to Condemn the U.S. and Israel

The Iranian foreign minister said such crimes — and Western silence toward them — are only possible because of a sense of impunity.

“This false sense of superiority and immunity must be shattered by all of us together,” he said.

Iran therefore called on BRICS members and the broader international community to explicitly condemn what it described as violations of international law by the United States and Israel, including “their illegal aggression against Iran,” and to prevent the politicization of international institutions.

Araghchi concluded by saying: “We believe BRICS can — and must — become one of the principal pillars in shaping a global order that is more just, balanced, and humane; an order in which power never replaces justice.”

“Nations that stand up for their dignity and independence may endure many hardships, but they will never be defeated.”