TEHRAN/WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM/BAGHDAD/DUBAI – Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Monday that Tehran has neither sought a ceasefire nor negotiations with the United States, rejecting US claims that it requested a truce.
In a post on X, Araghchi called such claims “delusional” and said Iran’s armed forces would keep fighting until US President Donald Trump recognizes that the “illegal war he’s imposing on both Americans and Iranians is wrong and must never be repeated”.
Speaking later at a weekly news conference in Tehran, Araghchi said that any end to the conflict must ensure that attacks on Iran are not repeated.
“When we say we do not want a ceasefire, it is not because we seek to continue the war,” he said. “It is because this time the war must end in a way that the enemies never think of repeating the attacks.”
Araghchi accused Iran’s adversaries of attempting to force the country into “unconditional surrender” after mobilizing their full capabilities. He added that Iran’s opponents, more than two weeks into the conflict, were now seeking help from countries they once considered hostile and calling for international assistance to secure shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran, he said, restricts passage only for enemies and their allies involved in the conflict.
On Feb 28, Israel and the United States launched joint strikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities, killing former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior military commanders, and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks on Israel and US bases and assets across the Middle East.
Direct contact
A direct communications channel between US and Iranian officials has been reactivated in recent days, according to a report from US online media outlet Axios on Monday, citing a US official and a source with knowledge.
The communication between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi is the first known direct contact between the two countries since the United States and Israel launched massive attacks on Iran on Feb 28, said the report.
Trump: War with Iran will continue through this week
Also on Monday, Trump said that he does not think the US-Israeli war with Iran could finish this week, while repeating his earlier claims that the conflict will come to an end “soon”.
Asked by a reporter at the White House if the war could end this week, Trump said: “I don’t think so. But it’ll be soon.”
“Won’t be long,” Trump added. “It’ll be wrapped up soon.”
Iranian mine-laying ships
Trump also said that the US forces have sunk all the Iranian mine-laying ships but it remains unclear if Iran has started laying mines in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes.
“We don’t know that they have dropped any in,” Trump said at a press conference.
“With more than 30 mine-laying ships destroyed, we hit, to the best of our knowledge, all of their mine-laying ships,” Trump claimed, while noting that Iran now can put mines on other types of ships and drop them in the strait.
Nuclear weapon
Trump said on Monday said Israel “would never” use a nuclear weapon on Iran.
“Israel wouldn’t do that. Israel would never do that,” Trump told reporters at a press conference.
David Sacks, the so-called White House AI czar appointed by Trump, reportedly said on the podcast All-In last week that he was concerned about the possibility of Israel escalating the ongoing US-Israeli war with Iran by using a nuclear weapon.
IRGC Navy’s HQ
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Monday that its air force destroyed the headquarters of the Iranian Islamic Revolution Guard Corps’ (IRGC’s) Navy in eastern Tehran.
The headquarters, struck on Friday, was located within a large military compound, according to the Israeli military.
The Israeli military also said on Monday it had destroyed an aircraft used by Iran’s top leadership at Tehran’s Mehrabad Airport, claiming the strike would hamper coordination between Tehran and its regional allies. Israel also said it carried out strikes on infrastructure in several Iranian cities.
The US-Israeli strikes on Iran have killed 226 women as well as 204 children, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Monday, citing Fatemeh Mohajerani, a government spokesperson.
Meanwhile, about 200 US troops have been injured since the United States and Israel launched massive attacks on Iran more than two weeks ago, a spokesperson with the US Central Command said on Monday.
US embassy
Facilities inside the US Embassy compound in Baghdad’s Green Zone caught fire after the embassy was attacked early Tuesday.
Two booby-trapped drones landed within the embassy perimeter and the subsequent explosions sparked a fire visible from outside the complex, a source from Iraq’s Interior Ministry told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Missile threat
Residents in Dubai received mobile alerts early Tuesday warning of a potential missile threat and urging them to seek shelter.
The alert advised residents to immediately seek a safe place in the nearest secure building and stay away from windows, doors and open areas.
Meanwhile, loud explosions were heard in parts of Dubai, believed to be related to interception operations carried out by air defence systems. Authorities urged the public to remain in safe locations and follow official channels for further warnings and updates.