During his weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday, Esmaeil Baqaei was asked about the claim of Iran and the US’s response to Pakistan and Qatar’s plan for negotiations on ending the American war of aggression against Iran.
“I don’t know how you think they will manage the war, a war that was supposed to force Iran to surrender, but they have been stuck in a quagmire for 5 months,” he said.
They are struggling in a situation that they themselves created with the Zionist regime, he stated.
Baqaei emphasized, “What is fundamental for us is national interests. Deciding on the issues of a country is not an equation with several unknowns. What is decisive for us is (Iran’s) security and national interests, and decisions about it are made in a specific process.”
He went on to say, “We will not allow the US to determine the time of war and peace, and we will defend ourselves for as long as necessary.”
The US and the Israeli regime waged their illegal war of aggression against Iran on February 28. However, forty days later, on April 8, the enemies were forced to accept a ceasefire amid Iran’s brave resistance and successful retaliatory operations.
On June 17, Tehran and Washington signed the Pakistan-brokered Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to end all hostilities and prepare for further negotiations.
However, Washington violated all provisions of the understanding, prompting Iran to deliver a firm response.