Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Iran has always been ready for talks based on mutual respect, but the Islamic Republic will not negotiate under pressure and intimidation.

Araghchi made the remarks on Monday as he and his colleagues at Foreign Ministry renewed their allegiance to the ideals of Imam Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic Republic, at his mausoleum in southern Tehran.

He said the enemies now talk of diplomacy after the failure of both their anti-Iran plots over the past year, including the illegal US-Israeli aggression, and terrorist riots.

“Iran has always been ready for diplomacy from an equal footing, with mutual respect, and in pursuit of the interests of the Iranian nation.”

“Anyone who speaks to the Iranian nation with respect will be met with respect, while anyone who resorts to threats and force will be met likewise, ” he said.

“Diplomacy is incompatible with pressure, threats, and intimidation, and the Islamic Republic of Iran proceeds along this path with resolve and strength,” the foreign minister stated.

Araghchi also noted that Iran has always pursued diplomacy alongside resistance. The Foreign Ministry, he said, stands “in the same position” with the Iranian Armed Forces as they are all striving to secure the rights of the people, defend national interests, and preserve the national security.

Meanwhile, the foreign minister referred to the unprovoked US-Israeli aggression against Iran that killed at least 1,064 people between June 13 and 27, 2025.

He said the enemies waged the war at a time when Tehran was holding indirect talks with Washington over the nuclear issue, with Donald Trump, the president of the United States, explicitly calling for Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”

However, Araghchi said, the Iranian nation opted for resistance and conducted retaliatory strikes, leading the enemies to demand an unconditional ceasefire.

Referring to the recent foreign-linked riots, the top Iranian diplomat said the unrest had nothing to do with civil protests that are recognized under the Constitution.

During the riots, which were a continuation of the 12-day war, armed terrorists entered the field to carry on the enemies’ failed plot against Iran, Araghchi said.

In late December, Iran saw sporadic economic protests that were quickly hijacked by armed mercenaries incited by US and Israeli leaders and aided by their spy operatives on the ground.

Iran’s Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs said a total of 3,117 people lost their lives during the unrest, adding that 2,427 of those killed were innocent civilians and security personnel.

Over the course of the riots and following the events, Trump repeatedly threatened military action against Iran and built up American forces in the region.

Air India said on Monday it had grounded a Boeing Dreamliner after one of its pilots reported a possible defect with the aircraft’s fuel control switch, which is at the centre of an ongoing probe into a deadly air crash last year.

The airline did not specify the nature of the defect or provide details of the flight. But two sources said the pilot had reported the defect after the plane landed in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru after taking off from London.

Air India said on Monday it had grounded one of its Boeing Dreamliners after one of its pilots reported an issue with the fuel control switch, which is at the centre of an ongoing probe into a deadly air crash last year.

“We have grounded said aircraft and are involving the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) to get the pilot’s concerns checked on a priority basis,” the airline said, adding that the matter has been communicated to India’s aviation regulator.

Boeing and India’s civil aviation ministry, which houses the aviation regulator, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The Tata Group and Singapore Airlines-owned carrier has faced intense scrutiny since a Dreamliner crash in June last year killed 260 people.

Air India said on Monday it had checked the fuel control switches on all Boeing 787 aircraft in its fleet after a directive from the regulator last year, and had found no issues.

A cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the June 12 Air India flight suggested that the captain cut the flow of fuel to the plane’s engines, a source briefed on US officials’ early assessment of evidence told Reuters last year.

A wild bull elephant killed a tourist in central Thailand’s Khao Yai National Park on Monday, a park official said, the third fatality linked to the same animal.

The 65-year-old Thai tourist from Lopburi province was out for a morning walk with his wife when he was trampled to death by an elephant named Oyewan, national park chief Chaiya Huayhongthong told AFP.

His wife managed to escape after park rangers scared the animal away, Chaiya said.

“He was the third person killed by Oyewan,” he said, adding that the wild bull elephant could have been responsible for several more deaths that remain unsolved.

Chaiya said authorities will meet on Friday to decide what to do with the elephant.

“We will probably decide to relocate him or change his behaviour,” he said, without elaborating.

More than 220 people, including tourists, have been killed by wild elephants since 2012, according to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.

Wild elephant numbers in Thailand rose from 334 in 2015 to almost 800 last year, prompting authorities to administer contraceptive vaccines to female animals in an effort to control their ballooning population.

An elephant killed a Spanish tourist while she was bathing the animal at a sanctuary in southern Thailand in January last year.

Another tourist was killed by an elephant at a national park in Loei province in northern Thailand in December 2024.