Representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader in India, Abdul Majeed Hakeem Ilahi on Saturday Iran did not want the conflict, but was compelled to respond amid continued attacks, even as negotiations were expected to continue. “Iran didn’t want this war, but Iran was forced by the war and several times Iran tried to avoid this war…I don’t know what is the condition of these people and these countries (US-Israel)…they want to impose on other countries what they want, and who gave them this authority?” he questioned.
He characterised the ongoing tensions between his country and the Israel-US alliance as a state of “no war, no peace” and called for an immediate halt to the conflict, he said the global stability hinges on those who initiated the war.
Why countries affected by war not pressuring US to end war?
He questioned why countries affected by the war and suffering from the energy crisis are not pressuring the US and Israel to stop the aggression. Recalling the negotiations Iran held in Oman, he said talks later moved to Geneva and made progress before being disrupted by sudden attacks.
Ilahi claimed that airstrikes and missile attacks led to the deaths of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ministers, commanders and civilians. “They killed a lot of civiliansโฆ They attacked a primary school, and they killed 175 innocent girls,” he said, claiming over 4,000 deaths, more than 40,000 injuries, and widespread damage to houses, hospitals, universities and public infrastructure.
Despite these losses, he said Iran resisted calls for “unconditional surrender” and stood firm and defended itself. “They wanted unconditional surrender. Which no one-no one can accept it. Iran said, ‘Okay, we are ready to be sacrificed,’ but we are not ready to submit ourselves,” he added.
He argued that they (US-Israel) proposed the current ceasefire only after realising that they could not achieve any of their objectives after 40 days of conflict. The envoy further claimed that the ceasefire is not an actual ceasefire, but a “no war, no peace” situation.
Conditions in Iran remain stable: Ilahiย
Explaining the current situation in Iran, he said conditions remain stable and people are going about their daily lives. “They are working ….(leading) their ordinary life.They are working-they’re going farming and they do everything….and they aren’t scared of anything. And they are ready to defend themselves,” he added.
Addressing the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, he said the situation was stable before February 28 and all countries benefited from it. “(For) 10,000 years, the Strait of Hormuz was open…and Iran daily yearly spent a lot for providing security in the Strait of Hormuz…so no one even complained anything about the Strait of Hormuz. Everyone was free… and even our enemies their warship was passing through the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.
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