TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has referred to a message sent by Tel Aviv to Iran via Russia, warning of possible deception by Tel Aviv.
“This development has not changed our assessment on the ground. Our military remains on full alert and is strengthening its capabilities every day. It is very likely that the Israeli regime will engage in deception, and it is very possible that such announcements are aimed at deception,” he said in a television interview.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said a few days ago that Israeli leaders had been asked to convey to Iran that they do not seek further confrontation with Iran and want a de-escalation of tensions.
Tensions between Iran and Israel have escalated since the occupation regime launched an unprovoked invasion of Iran on June 13, sparking a 12-day war. The regime assassinated top commanders and nuclear scientists, and also killed hundreds of civilians across the country. The United States also intervened, bombing three Iranian nuclear facilities in violation of international law.
The 12-day war ended on June 24 after crushing Iranian retaliatory attacks targeting both Israeli and American positions, forcing Israel to halt its aggression and enter into a unilateral ceasefire.
Speaking at the Central Asia-Russia Summit in Dushanbe on Thursday, President Putin said he had been asked by Israeli authorities to convey a message to Iran.
“We remain in contact with Israel on a basis of trust and have received signals from the Israeli leadership asking us to convey to our friends in Iran that Israel intends and is determined to further resolve this issue and is not interested in any form of confrontation.”
Elsewhere in his remarks on state television, Araghchi said the Gaza ceasefire agreement does not strip the international community of its responsibility to bring the Israeli regime to justice.
“As emphasized in the Iranian Foreign Ministry statement, this (ceasefire) agreement and ceasefire, although agreed by the resistance groups, does not alleviate the international community’s responsibility to punish criminals in the Gaza Strip,” Abbas Araghchi said in a television interview.
He said those who committed crimes in Gaza must be brought to justice and held accountable to the international community.
However, he reiterated Iran’s support for all efforts to prevent killings.
“We have always supported any plan or action that would lead to an end to crimes against the Gaza population and stop this genocide,” the foreign minister said.
“In all international communities, in our bilateral relations with other countries, and in the talks we have had, we have always emphasized that we should take steps to stop these criminals,” the top diplomat said.
“So far, the first phase has been implemented, military operations have ceased and the first withdrawal has taken place. Of course, more than half of the Gaza Strip is still under Israeli military occupation, and there are doubts as to whether the withdrawal will be completed in the future,” he said.
Araghchi then addressed the issue of consultations with the United States.
“The U.S. Special Envoy (Steve) Witkoff specifically sent a message that we are prepared to engage in direct negotiations with Iran. Our response was that we were prepared to negotiate within a multilateral framework with the presence of many countries in the past, provided that the three European countries also attended the meeting, and that Mr. Grossi would also participate in the negotiations given the technical nature of the negotiations and the Iranian issue.” But Mr. Witkoff rejected those conditions and refused to participate in such a meeting,” the top diplomat said.