Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Iran will reject any call for a ceasefire in the ongoing war with the United States and Israel, insisting that there must be a permanent end to the aggression.
In an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Araghchi said that Iran will continue to fight because Israel and the US had already shattered a ceasefire reached to end the 12-day war in June last year.
“And now you want to ask for a ceasefire again? This doesn't work like this… There needs to be a permanent end to the war,” Araghchi said.
“Unless we get to that, I think we need to continue fighting for the sake of our people and our security,” he said.
The comments came in response to NBC moderator Kristin Welker's question about whether Iran would be ready to end the war and return to the negotiating table with the US.
It also came two days after US President Donald Trump said that the only way to end the war would be for Iran to announce “unconditional surrender.”
It also came two days after US President Donald Trump said that the only way to end the war would be for Iran to announce “unconditional surrender.”
Araghchi said that Trump had made similar demands in the previous war with Iran, as he insisted that such conditions would never work.
He said that Iran will never surrender and will continue to fight as long as necessary.
Responding to a question about alleged Russian intelligence assistance to Iran in the war, the Iranian foreign minister would not confirm whether Tehran was receiving such intelligence to locate US military assets in the region.
“They are helping us in many different directions. I don't have any detailed information,” he said, adding that “cooperation between Iran and Russia is not something new, it's not a secret.”
The US and the regime in Tel Aviv launched an unprovoked and illegal aggression on Iran on February 28, assassinating the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and several top-ranking military commanders.
In response, Iranian armed forces have carried out multiple waves of retaliatory operations using advanced missiles and drones.
US military bases across the West Asian region, as well as Israeli military bases in the occupied territories, have been pounded, inflicting damage to the tune of billions of dollars, according to US media reports.
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is preparing to leave the Trump administration after what a new report has described as months of tension with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, potentially triggering another change at the army’s top echelons.
According to the Friday report by The Wall Street Journal, Driscoll is expected to step down before the end of the year and could leave his post earlier. The newspaper cited people familiar with discussions over his departure.
The Journal reported that Driscoll and his family vacated the official residence assigned to the army secretary at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall this summer, a move that could indicate he was preparing to leave the position.
The reported departure would come at a time of continuing uncertainty at the top echelons of the army.
Hegseth abruptly removed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April, while Trump has not yet nominated a permanent successo....more below
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The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns the enemies that any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic will not go unanswered.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC issued a “stern warning” to the enemies after US forces launched strikes against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Following the US military attack on a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport with aerial projectiles, the IRGC carried out new strikes targeting the US air base from which the attack originated in the wee hours of Thursday, it added.
“This response is a serious warning to the enemy that they should know the act of aggression will not go unanswered,” the IRGC emphasized.
The elite military force warned of a “more decisive” response if the enemy repeated any act of aggression.
It also said the responsibility for the consequences of any IRGC response lies with the aggressor.
The statement comes after the IRGC Navy on Thursday forced an American tanker to turn back. The tanker ...
