Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said he is not seeking a simple ceasefire but a full-blown end to the war on “all fronts” across the Middle East.
“We don't believe in a ceasefire. We believe in ending the war on all fronts … and that we witness peace throughout the region, in Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Iran and other countries of the region,” he said in an interview with Al Jazeera aired on Wednesday.
Israel's attacks on Lebanon since March 2 have killed at least 900 people, with Israel expanding its ground incursion into the country. Iran has indicated it is not willing to experience similar conditions, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that Israel continuously breached.
Mr Araghchi said he does not want to see a repeat of that scenario in Iran. Tehran has been retaliating against attacks by the US and Israel by striking what it says are American assets in the region, as well as Israel itself.
Gulf countries have been intercepting daily attacks since the US-Israeli bombardment of Iran began on February 28. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian publicly apologised to neighbouring countries, but Iranian attacks continued.
The Gulf states have condemned Iran's actions, which have resulted in civilian casualties and damage to civilian buildings including hotels, airports and homes.
Mr Araghchi said this was never Iran's intention. “We accept that they're upset … We have not attacked civilian targets in neighbouring countries,” he said, calling any harm to them “collateral consequences”.
He said Iran has not limited itself to striking US bases in the region, but to areas where there is a “concentration of Americans or facilities belonging to them”. He referred to US bases that had been evacuated but where their occupants fled to cities and hotels in those cities.
“The US behaviour brought this region to this point,” he said.
Mr Araghchi also said he believes the US was dragged into the war by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The US-Israeli strikes have caused significant damage in Iran, killing at least 1,400 people, hitting airports, schools and residential areas.
The strikes also killed senior members of Iran's leadership, notably security chief Ali Larijani whose death was confirmed on Tuesday. But Mr Araghchi said his country's political system is “solid” and does not rely on one person.
“Of course, individuals are influential, and each person plays their role – some better, some worse, some less – but what matters is that the political system in Iran is a very solid structure.”
He said the system had withstood the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
“We have not had anyone more important than the [supreme] leader himself, and even the leader was martyred, yet the system continued its work and immediately provided a replacement,” he said. “If anyone else is martyred, it will be the same.”
