We defend ourselves with all our might, determination, and strong spirit. As long as the aggression continues, the Iranian people and the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran will defend their country. Iranian ambassador to Armenia Khalil Shirgholami stated this in an interview with an Armenian TV channel.

To the question as to what the real goal of this war is in Iran’s assessment and whether this scenario was predictable for them, the ambassador replied: “We [i.e. Iran] started the negotiations [with the US] with a very serious and sincere attitude and continued them with the same seriousness. At the last phase in Geneva, the Iranian side presented a very practical and appealing package of proposals in order to approach a principled and comprehensive agreement and lay the foundations for this agreement. If you study the statements of the American side after the negotiations, you will see that they also noted that the negotiations were going in the right direction. However, [US president] Mr. [Donald] Trump, unfortunately, got involved in this aggressive war under the influence of some warmongering individuals around him, including [Israeli PM Benjamin] Netanyahu, who is constantly trying to provoke conflicts and create costs. Costs that are paid for from the pockets of the American people, but serve the interests of the Zionist regime [i.e. Israel].

While the diplomatic process was proceeding naturally, they [i.e. the US] suddenly attacked Iran. Of course, we did not rule out the possibility of such a development, which is why our armed forces were fully prepared. We also warned that any territory or country that the US would use to launch an attack on Iran would become a legitimate target for us.

We adhered to the principles of real and honest negotiations, it was they who betrayed these principles and started this aggressive war.”

Regarding the remark that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that they reject the possibility of a ceasefire, emphasizing that there must be a permanent end to the conflict, and asked whether Iran is ready for a long-term war, Shirgholami said: “This is based on the experience of the 12-day war [last year]. On the second day of that war, Mr. Trump’s slogan of ‘unconditional surrender’ turned into an unconditional ceasefire a few days later. They [i.e. the US] resorted to a ceasefire because the Israeli regime was suffering heavy blows and they were surprised by Iran’s strength. Iran showed good will and accepted it.

Experience has shown that a fragile ceasefire cannot work because the enemy can continue its aggression at all times and every time. So, our position now is that if a ceasefire is to be established, first the aggression of the Zionist regime and America on Iran must stop. And secondly, a clear legal and institutional mechanism for a ceasefire must be established, preferably within the framework of the UN and the UN Security Council, which will be converted into a written document and the aggressor will be determined. In other words, the international community must recognize who the aggressor was and condemn the aggressor.

The issue of compensation and damages that the aggressors have inflicted on the Islamic Republic of Iran must also be clarified. And if there is to be a ceasefire or peace, it must be transformed into a reliable international document so that they [i.e. the US and Israel] will no longer be able to repeat their hostile and aggressive actions whenever they want; this is our principled position.

Since reports have been received again about a ceasefire, the Islamic Republic of Iran says that it cannot trust it. You are talking about a ceasefire because you have come under pressure, because you have not achieved the goals that you thought you would achieve by killing the leader of Iran and our military commanders, and you are surprised by the firepower of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Trillions of dollars of your capital have been destroyed in your air bases in the Persian Gulf, you have many dead and wounded, and now you come to talk about a ceasefire.

As long as necessary, Iran is ready to defend itself against this attack. We have no time limit."