Iran rejects US role in deciding timing of war and peace

Speaking at his weekly press conference in Tehran, Baghaei said the United States had become trapped in a “self-made quagmire” after five months of military aggression against Iran, rejecting claims that Washington was managing the conflict.

“ We will not allow the US to determine the timing of war and peace, and we will defend ourselves for as long as necessary,” Baghaei said, adding that Iran would turn to diplomacy whenever it deemed it an effective tool for protecting its national interests.

He said decisions concerning Iran’s security and national interests were made through a defined and transparent process involving the country’s relevant decision-making bodies, including the Foreign Ministry.

Baghaei also accused Washington of undermining diplomacy by violating the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 17 to end hostilities and pave the way for further negotiations. He said the United States had “betrayed diplomacy” for the third time in a single year.

Addressing reports about ceasefire and negotiation proposals from Pakistan and Qatar, the Iranian official said a war that was allegedly intended to force Iran into submission had instead left the United States and its allies facing the consequences of a crisis they had created themselves.

On the management of the Strait of Hormuz, Baghaei said talks between Iran and Oman had been positive, while stressing that the strategic waterway remained closed.

Iran condemns Ukraine's attack on Iranian vessel

Commenting on a recent Ukrainian attack on an Iranian vessel that killed and wounded several Iranian nationals, Baghaei described the incident as an illegal and dangerous act of adventurism that violated the UN Charter and would not go unanswered.

He said Iran had summoned Ukraine's chargé d'affaires and taken other diplomatic measures in response to the incident. Baghaei also warned that actions intended to project influence could produce unpredictable consequences for Ukraine and the wider region.

He reiterated Tehran's position that Iran is not involved in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, adding that Ukraine should be held accountable for the attack.

Iran says peaceful nuclear energy is a right under NPT

Regarding reports that Washington could allow Saudi Arabia to expand its civilian nuclear program in exchange for joining the Abraham Accords, Baghaei criticized what he described as double standards in US policy.

He said peaceful nuclear energy was a right guaranteed to all countries under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), accusing the United States of using the same right as a pretext for pressure against Iran.

“We leave the contradictions of US policy to the judgment of world public opinion,” he said.

Tehran criticizes joint US–GCC statement

Baghaei also criticized a joint statement issued by the US secretary of state and foreign ministers of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council, describing it as “highly destructive.”

While holding Washington responsible for the military aggression against Iran, he said Tehran also could not ignore the role of certain regional countries in the conflict.

At the same time, Baghaei stressed that Iran harbored no hostility toward any regional country and sought good relations with its neighbors, particularly the states on the southern shores of the Persian Gulf.

He accused some regional countries of disregarding international law and good-neighborly principles by allowing their territories to be used by forces carrying out aggression against Iran.