Iran Demands End to War with Assurance of No Further Attacks

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi / PHOTO Hossein Zohrevand via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - Iran has told Britain any attempt to end the ongoing war with the US and Israel must include guarantees to prevent future attacks.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the statement in a telephone conversation with British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, according to a report by Iran's official news agency, IRNA.

"The path to normalizing the situation is the cessation of these attacks. The cessation of war must be accompanied by guarantees to prevent the recurrence of such aggression," Araghchi said, quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Friday, March 20.

He also warned against providing any support to the US and Israel during the escalation.

"Such actions will only escalate the situation and make conditions more complicated," he said.

Araghchi called on Britain to refrain from cooperating with Washington and Tel Aviv "in the military or media fields."

Criticizing the provision of a British military base to the US, he said: "This action will certainly be considered as participation in aggression and will be recorded in the history of bilateral relations."

"At the same time, we still have the inherent right to defend the sovereignty and independence of our country," he added.

Araghchi also criticized the attitude of Britain and several other European countries, saying Iran was attacked while engaged in diplomacy. He said the attack killed more than 170 elementary school students in Iran.

"We respect the sovereignty of neighboring countries and have no intention of attacking them," he said.

"However, unfortunately, the US bases in those countries are used to attack us, and those countries have failed to fulfill their international responsibilities to prevent the use of their territory for attacks against Iran," he added.

Araghchi also condemned the attack on the South Pars facility and expressed concern over what he described as a lack of condemnation, as reported by IRNA.

Meanwhile, Cooper also called for an end to the war and a reduction in regional tensions.

He also expressed concern about the political and economic consequences of the conflict on a regional and global scale, including tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Since Israel and the US launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28, which has so far killed about 1,300 people, including Iran's then-supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, hostilities have escalated.

Iran has retaliated with drone and missile attacks targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Gulf states hosting US military assets.