Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that his country rejected a ceasefire during the recent war, continuing to fight until reaching a stage where the opposing side accepted a cease-fire and negotiations on Tehran's terms, emphasizing that "Tehran fought with strength and negotiated with strength."
اضافة اعلان
Speaking at a press conference, Araghchi noted that U.S. President Donald Trump claimed during the early days of the war that the goal was "unconditional surrender," pointing out that "the enemies' primary objective was to force Iran into unconditional submission."
The Iranian Foreign Minister asserted that this objective "was not achieved," stating that Iran "did not surrender" and that "when hostile parties realized the impossibility of achieving that goal, they attempted to shift to another objective: regime change—in which they also failed."
Araghchi added: "Those who were demanding Iran's unconditional surrender soon began pleading for negotiations shortly after the war began."
He continued: "We were the ones who rejected the ceasefire and continued the war until we reached a point where they accepted a ceasefire and negotiations on Iran's terms," framing this as a reflection of Tehran's "success in managing the confrontation both militarily and diplomatically."
He noted that ambassadors from various countries repeatedly informed him that "most provisions of the memorandum of understanding were in Iran's favor, while only a small portion served the other side," considering this "one of the reasons behind the United States' violation of the memorandum."
"When we say we won in diplomacy, we mean Iran emerged victorious," the Foreign Minister added, explaining that "diplomacy works to solidify gains of power and translate them into political achievements."
Araghchi spoke of the war's fallout and the "symbols" that he said have turned into "legends" in the Iranian memory, referencing fallen commanders during the conflict, as well as students and teachers killed at the "Shajarat Tayyiba" school in Minab, describing them as an "immortal epic."
"The Iranian people resisted for several days against the largest standing military in the world alongside another army," Araghchi said, noting that "Iran faced extensive Western and regional support for the other side."
He stressed that Tehran did not treat negotiations as a substitute for strength, but rather as an extension of it, reiterating: "We fought with strength and negotiated with strength."
He added that several foreign ministers, according to his account, told him that Iran "won in both war and diplomacy," asserting that "the outcome of the confrontation proved that the false dream of unconditional surrender failed to materialize."
U.S. Position and Conflict Background
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump reaffirmed that preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon remains the primary goal for the United States, emphasizing that Tehran "will never possess" a nuclear weapon.
Speaking from the White House, Trump stated that the United States is engaging in negotiations with Iran for "one reason": to prevent it from acquiring nuclear capability, adding that Tehran wants to reach an agreement but is "not ready to make the deal" he considers necessary.
The U.S. President added that Washington "is not seeking to extend the memorandum of understanding with Iran," asserting that "Iran is in big trouble, in a state of chaos, and its military has been completely defeated."
In mid-June, Iran and the United States announced reaching a memorandum of understanding through international mediation led by Pakistan. The agreement outlined arrangements to halt the war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on February 28, paving the way for 60-day negotiations toward a comprehensive agreement addressing Iran's nuclear program, sanctions relief, and other contentious issues, before implementation and talks subsequently stalled.
Between July 8 and July 23, the U.S. military launched multiple strikes against Iran. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) stated that the strikes were in response to Iranian targeting of commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
In response, the Iranian military launched strikes targeting U.S. bases in several countries across the region, while Tehran accused Washington of violating the ceasefire memorandum of understanding signed in June.
