Iranian Foreign Minister: "Cooperation with Russia Is No Secret... We Will Fight Until a Permanent End to the War"

Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is currently at war with the United States and Israel, stated that a temporary ceasefire is not satisfactory and emphasized that Iran will continue fighting until a permanent end to the war is achieved. He also noted that military cooperation with Russia is no secret and that Iran is receiving assistance via various channels.

In an interview with NBC News, reported on March 8, Araghchi asserted that the United States and Israel broke last June's ceasefire intended to end the "12-Day War" and made these comments. He said, "A permanent end to the war is necessary," adding, "Unless that happens, we believe we must continue to fight for our people and our security."

Abbas Araghchi, Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

When asked about the conditions for a ceasefire, Minister Araghchi responded, "We are not at that point yet," and said, "Last time (the 12-Day War), we accepted a ceasefire, but this time it is quite different," explaining that the previous ceasefire did not bring peace.

Referencing U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks that the deployment of U.S. ground forces would be contingent on the Iranian military collapsing to the point that a ground war would be impossible, the interviewer asked whether it seems likely Iran will be unable to conduct a ground war. Araghchi replied, "At least for now, that is not the case," and insisted, "For the time being, we have sufficient capacity to conduct ground operations." He further stated, "We have very brave soldiers who will fight, kill, and destroy any enemy that enters our territory."

Regarding recent reports that Russia has been providing Iran with information on the whereabouts of U.S. forces in the Middle East, Araghchi was asked whether Iran is receiving support from Russia. He answered, "Military cooperation between Iran and Russia is not new, nor is it a secret. It has existed in the past and will continue in the future." However, on whether Russia has provided information about the location of U.S. forces, he avoided a direct answer, stating, "They (Russia) are helping us through various channels. I do not have detailed information."

The previous day, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized to neighboring countries and pledged to stop attacking them unless Iran itself is attacked. In relation to this, Minister Araghchi asserted that Iran has not attacked neighboring countries, stating, "Unfortunately, we are attacking U.S. military bases, American facilities, and American assets located within the territories of neighboring countries."

Minister Araghchi characterized the U.S. claim that Iran's missile capabilities were the main target of this latest attack as "misinformation." He continued, "Although we have the capacity to produce missiles, we have deliberately limited their range to under 2,000 kilometers because we do not want to be perceived as a threat to anyone," and stated that there is no evidence or information suggesting Iran is developing long-range missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the United States.

Regarding President Trump's attempt to intervene in the selection of a successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a U.S.-Israel attack, Araghchi drew a clear line, saying, "It is up to the Iranian people to select a new leader."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.