Iranian officials stressed their preparedness for war with the United States while expressing hope that negotiations could prevail.

“We are not looking for war, but we are prepared for war — even more prepared than the previous war,” Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Abbas Araghchi told a gathering of ambassadors in Tehran, referring to the 12-day war with Israel, which saw most of its top scientists and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders assassinated and its military and nuclear infrastructure degraded.

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