Araghchi, referring to how the Israeli-imposed conflict against Iran ended, said: “Our policy was clear: if the enemy halts its aggression without preconditions, Iran would also end its responses.”
Regarding the sensitivity over using the term ceasefire, the Foreign Minister said: “We had a policy that was approved by the country’s decision-making bodies. That policy stated that if the enemy ceases its attacks unconditionally, the Islamic Republic of Iran would also stop its reactions. The reason is clear—we were attacked and were defending ourselves. Once the aggression stops, naturally the need for defense also diminishes.”
He continued: “It was around 1 a.m. on Tuesday when they made this announcement. I was returning to Tehran overland after attending a meeting of the foreign ministers of Islamic countries. From there, I traveled to Moscow to meet with the Russian president, and then flew to Ashgabat. From Ashgabat, we returned to Tehran by land. During that land journey, the opposing side’s message was conveyed to us, stating they were ready to stop their attacks as of 4 a.m. Tehran time, and that if Iran also stopped, they would not resume.”
Araghchi emphasized: “This was exactly the condition we had set — and now it had been met, without any precondition from their side. I coordinated with the relevant bodies and we eventually delivered our message to the other side.”
“We do not accept the term ‘ceasefire’ — a ceasefire is the result of negotiation or a mutual agreement between two parties to halt operations,” he stressed.
“As I wrote in my tweet,” he continued, “we reject the notion of a ceasefire, because a ceasefire implies negotiation and mutual agreement. We had no such agreement. But if the Zionist regime ceases its attacks, we have no intention to continue. That is what we accepted. Further decisions will be made accordingly.”
The Foreign Minister added: “At the time, I was closely following the news and noticed that certain narratives were beginning to take shape — such as claims that Iran and the Zionist regime had negotiated, or that both sides had communicated with the United States, or that the U.S. had mediated. None of these were true. The Zionist regime, out of desperation, stopped its aggression, and we, according to our pre-established instructions, ceased our response once they did.”
“It was the Zionist regime that sought to end the operation,” Araghchi underlined.
He added: “The U.S. president is known for making contradictory statements — sometimes changing his tone hour by hour. Although that may seem strange, it’s a reality. At that time, when such narratives were emerging from the other side suggesting mediation or Iranian initiative, I posted a tweet at 4 a.m. to counter that narrative and reveal the truth.”
“In that tweet,” he noted, “I made it clear that there were no preconditions, and we had made no requests. It was the Zionist regime that asked for the halt, and the Islamic Republic of Iran, based on its established policy, stated that if the attacks stopped, we would not continue. As a result, the operation came to an end.”
Araghchi concluded with a clarification: “But what happened between 4:00 and 7:30 a.m.? Apparently, there was a misunderstanding or a divergence in interpretation that led to continued operations until 7:30 a.m. While they ceased operations at 4 a.m. Tehran time, our armed forces continued until 7 a.m. (4 a.m. GMT). Those final strikes by our forces were decisive and highly effective. At 7:30 a.m. (4 a.m. GMT), our forces also halted operations. What is now referred to as a ‘ceasefire’ was effectively established and has continued since.”
