IRAN will reject any call for a ceasefire in the ongoing war with the United States and Israel, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insisted yesterday, saying that there must be a permanent end to the aggression.
In an interview with the USA’s 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’.
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.
Meanwhile, Iranian ambassador to the UK, Seyed Ali Mousavi told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg Show yesterday: ‘Iran is one of the peace-lover countries and we want to use nuclear activities only for peaceful means.’
Kuenssberg asked him: ‘Will you stop your attacks on military bases in other parts of the Middle East outside Israel?’
He replied: ‘It depends on the activities of the Israelis and the American side. If the aggression of the American side and the Israeli regime is continued there is no doubt that we will defend ourselves.
‘And if they want to use these military bases although we do not want to do that there is no doubt it is certain we will defend ourselves.’
Kuenssberg asked: ‘If British jets were to down Iranian missiles or drones, are they legitimate targets?’
Al Mousavi replied: ‘British people are not involved in this aggression and this government mission. If they want to attack us, there is no doubt that we will defend ourselves. But we have no doubt that the British government has very good experience from the Iraq invasion and they know the illegality of this aggression.’
Kuenssberg said: ‘And yet the British government is allowing American jets to use British bases for attacks and British military assets are being used to intercept Iranian attacks. In those circumstances are British military assets legitimate targets?’
‘We are defending ourselves. This is very important. Who started this war? The American side and the Israeli regime. Remove their military bases from the Persian Gulf countries.’
Children one third of those killed by US-Israel
CHILDREN and minors make up at least one-third of the fatalities in the first week of the ongoing US-Israeli war of aggression against our country, the Iranian Health Ministry said yesterday.
One hundred and ninety eight women have been killed and 1,099 others wounded, forming the largest group of those affected, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
The statistics show that among the 198 women killed, a total of 190 were younger than 18 years old, and six were below the age of 5.
Additionally, the youngest victim of all was an eight-month-old girl, and the eldest one was an 88-year-old man.
Among the injured were 1,044 women, of whom 584 were minors, and 54 people were below the age of five.
The United States and the Israeli regime launched the military aggression against Iran on February 28th, assassinating the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, as well as senior military commanders and civilians.
The war has involved extensive strikes that have targeted military and civilian areas, resulting in significant casualties and damage.
Iranian Armed Forces have carried out crushing retaliatory strikes, hitting the US and Israeli targets in the occupied territories and the neighbouring countries with a barrage of missiles and drones.
A senior Iranian official says countries in the region must block the use of their territory by the enemies of Iran if they want to remain safe from Iran’s reprisal attacks.
Ayatollah Alireza A’rafi, who sits on a three-member council running Iran until a new Leader is elected, said on Sunday that Iran is serious in its warnings about targeting US or Israeli-related targets in other countries if those countries allow attacks on Iran.
‘(Iran) does not hesitate to attack enemies and their bases. Any country that wishes to remain safe must block the enemy’s use of its territory,’ A’rafi said.
Iranian reprisal attacks have successfully targeted many locations in the Israeli-occupied territories as well as US military bases in several countries neighbouring Iran.
Those countries have criticised the attacks and have been calling on Iran to stop them. However, authorities in Tehran have indicated that the attacks will only stop when those countries stop allowing the US and Israel to use their territory and airspace to carry out attacks on Iran.
