Iran is becoming more defiant in face of US-Israeli onslaught

Iran has spurned two messages from Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, seeking a ceasefire as its leaders sense it is not losing the war and the US president is at the minimum feeling the political pressure.

“Iran has spurned two messages from Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, seeking a ceasefire as its leaders sense it is not losing the war and the US president is at the minimum feeling the political pressure”

The Guardian

The foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, has further said a unilateral declaration from Trump that the US had won the war would not bring an end to the conflict, and the implication is that even if the US announced a willingness to end its attacks, Iran might be willing to continue the conflict in some form, or keep its chokehold on shipping seeking to navigate the strait of Hormuz.

The Guardian

Iran believes there can be no end to the conflict until it believes Trump has been shown the economic, political and military cost is so high that it is not worth repeating.

Iran is insisting on a permanent deal that includes a US commitment not to attack Iran again, with the deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, saying: “If a ceasefire is to be established or the war stopped there must be a guarantee that aggressive actions against Iran will not be repeated.

Otherwise if another attack occurs after a few months such a ceasefire would be meaningless.”

The Guardian

The foreign ministry is meanwhile talking with many countries offering to mediate to explore whether the war can stop as it did in June last year or must end with some kind of pact that might include a conditional lifting of US economic sanctions.

Iranian diplomats argue that after two previous rounds of diplomatic talks being cut short by US-Israeli airstrikes there is simply no basis to reach an agreement.

Hardline and military figures have publicly rejected a ceasefire and signalled continued confrontation.

“Iran has spurned two messages from Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, seeking a ceasefire as its leaders sense it is not losing the war and the US president is at the minimum feeling the political pressure”

The Guardian

The speaker of the parliament, Mohammed Ghalibaf, posted: “We are absolutely NOT seeking a ceasefire.

Let the enemy know that whatever they do, there will certainly be a proportionate and immediate retaliation […] We are fighting eye for eye, tooth for tooth, without compromise or exception.”

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps has stressed that it will control the strait of Hormuz, which carries nearly 20% of the world’s crude oil and about 20% of liquefied natural gas.

The IRGC said: “At the beginning of the war we announced and we announce again no vessel associated with aggressors against Iran has the right to pass through the strait of Hormuz. If you have doubts, come closer and find out.”

The IRGC has also said it will allow ships though from countries that expel their US and Israeli ambassadors.

Even the less militant president, Masoud Pezeshkian, argued “the destroyers have come and gone. Iran remains.”

Iran will face intense diplomatic pressure at the UN Security Council when more than 80 nations will sponsor a Bahrain-sponsored resolution condemning Iran for its attacks on the Gulf States while voicing no criticism of the US or Israel.

Russia may sponsor a separate motion calling for a ceasefire.

The Guardian

Trump, at his press conference on Monday night, was rehearsing arguments for a declaration of victory — possibly that the US had sufficiently damaged Iran’s ballistic missile launchers and nuclear programme — but he ultimately refused to assert US victory was complete.

Alex Vatanka said “the regime overall think they can stay in this war and it might actually legitimise them because otherwise they have been a disaster for the country,” and blamed some of Israel’s attacks on energy infrastructure for alienating Iranian opinion.

Emile Hokayem said the regime “is still standing but faced a massive issue of resources” and asked “Where do the resources come from when you have lost your ability to export when Hormuz is closed because of your own threats when the region does not want to trade with you and the United Arab Emirates is considering to freeze its assets.”