While Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this year achieved his dream of dragging the US into a military confrontation with Iran, it came at a steep and unprecedented cost for Israel. Seeing Netanyahu beg Donald Trump to be bailed out from a quagmire, a rising number of Americans openly acknowledge that Israel is not an ally but a liability. In September, the US’s Arab allies also reached the conclusion that we Iranians have always underscored: Israel’s recklessness is a threat to all.

This reality is paving the way for whole new relationships that may transform our region. The US administration now faces a dilemma: it can continue writing blank cheques for Israel with American taxpayer dollars and credibility, or be part of a tectonic change for the better. For decades, western policy towards our region has been mostly shaped by myths originating from Israel. The war in June was momentous for a number of reasons, including how it exposed the cost for the west of mistaking mythology for strategy. Israel and its proxies claim a “decisive victory”, with Iran left weakened and deterred. Yet our vast strategic depth – the country covers an area the size of western Europe, and has a population 10 times that of Israel’s – meant that most of our provinces were untouched by Israel’s aggression. In contrast, all Israelis experienced the might of our military. The narrative of invulnerability – central to Israel’s myth-making machine – has been shattered.

The manufactured crisis over Iran’s nuclear programme exemplifies how fiction authored in Tel Aviv and peddled by Israel’s proxies has fuelled unnecessary confrontation. For decades, we Iranians have emphasised that we do not seek nuclear weapons. This is not a tactical claim but a strategic doctrine grounded in religious, ethical and security considerations. Yet during President Trump’s first term, the US administration was misled into believing that Iran was nearing collapse, that the 2015 nuclear deal was a lifeline for us, and that abandoning the accord would compel us to quickly concede. Those myths encouraged Washington to abandon a functional diplomatic framework in favour of “maximum pressure” that only produced “maximum resistance”.

A growing number of Americans – particularly those who want a focus on rebuilding the US – are publicly acknowledging what has been taboo: that uncritical acceptance of Israel’s narratives has drained American resources, undermined American credibility, and entangled the US in conflicts that do not serve American interests. Over the past two years, the regime in Tel Aviv has killed tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians in Gaza and attacked Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Yemen and even Qatar. Nearly every other state in the region has been threatened. No responsible individual calls this aggression “self-defence”.

There is another silver lining to recent events: the new impetus in our region to contain a shared Israeli threat. This has put a final nail in the coffin of the Abraham accords and opened the door for novel cooperation.

I have been made aware that there is an unprecedented willingness among mutual friends of Iran and the US to facilitate dialogue and underwrite the full and verifiable implementation of any negotiated outcome. It sounds promising. Despite Israel’s attack on diplomacy amid Iran-US nuclear negotiations, Iran remains open to an agreement that is built on mutual respect and mutual interest.

That objective hinges on the US accepting that a negotiation is different from dictating the terms of a capitulation. Our people are well aware that President Trump is not the first US president to attack them, and have witnessed disastrous experiences of engaging with the US. If President Trump wants to win their trust, and stand by his pledges to his own supporters at home, he should do what none of his predecessors have achieved: finally end an unnecessary crisis by pursuing peace through diplomacy. The first step is to address the Iranian nation with a language of respect, without ifs and buts.

The world should also know that Iranians will never abandon their rights. Enjoyed by all signatories to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, those rights include access to all aspects of peaceful nuclear technology. We Iranians do not fear serious negotiations to achieve a fair deal. Such a deal must feature tangible and verifiable sanctions lifting. The shifts in our region can enable implementation of understandings in a whole new way.

For those willing to go where no one has gone before, there is a brief window of opportunity. Fortune favours the brave, and it takes a lot more guts to break an evil cycle than to simply perpetuate it.

• Seyed Abbas Araghchi is the Iranian foreign minister

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