Araghchi: Strait of Hormuz open to all except US, its allies
Washington plotting false flag ops against Americans, Larijani says
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz is open to all ships except those of the United States and its allies.
Araghchi reiterated in an interview with Al-Arabi Al-Jadid that the United States and Israel initiated the war, saying, “We are defending ourselves, and we only attack American bases and interests in the region.”
The chief Iranian diplomat underscored the Iranian Armed Forces have not targeted any civilian or residential areas in the region, speculating that the Israeli regime may have targeted non-military areas in Arab countries to sever their relations with Iran.
“The Americans have made a drone identical to our Shahed drone, named Lucas, and it is being used to attack targets in Arab countries,” he stated.
Araghchi also voiced Iran’s readiness to form a joint investigation committee with the participation of regional countries regarding the areas that have been targeted.
Addressing regional mediation efforts, the foreign minister said, “So far, no specific initiative has been proposed to end the war, but we welcome any regional initiative that leads to a just end to the war.”
“However, the end of the war is contingent upon ensuring that it does not recur and compensation is paid,” he added.
Araghchi warns France of expanding conflict
In a phone call with his French counterpart, the Iranian foreign minister noted that the root cause of insecurity in the entire region, including Lebanon, is the aggression and hegemony of the Zionist regime.
In the telephone conversation on Saturday night, Araghchi stressed the importance of refraining from any actions that could escalate and broaden the scope of conflict.
While US President Donald Trump has called on France, China, Japan, South Korea and the UK to send warships to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, France’s Minister of Armed Forces and Veteran Affairs Catherine Vautrin said Paris has no plans to send naval vessels to the strategic waterway.
In an interview with FRANCE 24, she also stressed that France is not participating in the war in the Middle East.
Iran ‘has no war’ with Americans
The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council wrote on his social media page that Iran is fundamentally opposed to terrorist schemes and “has no war with the American people”.
Ali Larijani wrote Sunday on his X account, “I have heard that remnants of the Epstein team have plotted a scheme to create an incident similar to September 11 and to accuse Iran of it.”
Emphasizing that Iran is fundamentally opposed to such terrorist plans, the top security official added, “Today, in response to US and Israeli aggression against Iran, it is acting in self-defense. In this defense, however, it is strong and resolute in punishing the aggressors.”
President: Iran will rise stronger
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian emphasized that with the cooperation of “the noble people of Iran,” the country will overcome the current circumstances and rebuild everything the enemy has destroyed and make them “better than before”.
Addressing the Iranian people on the 15th day of the war, Pezeshkian wrote in a post Saturday night on X, “Despite transportation and communication difficulties, thanks to our colleagues in the government, there has been no significant interruption in public services.”