TEHRAN- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would neither forgive nor forget the assassination of the country’s Leader, vowing that Tehran would continue to stand firm in defense of its independence and national dignity despite mounting pressure.
“The assassination of the Leader is something we will neither forgive nor forget,” Araghchi said in a post on X, underscoring the depth of Iran’s response to an attack targeting the country’s highest authority.
Speaking to reporters in Tehran on Sunday, Araghchi also ruled out any immediate resumption of negotiations with the United States, saying Washington must first end violations of the Islamabad memorandum of understanding and make amends for those violations.
The foreign minister said intermediaries were continuing efforts to find a way to revive negotiations but stressed that Tehran currently sees no basis for returning to talks.
“There is no possibility of resuming negotiations until the United States stops violating the memorandum of understanding and compensates for its violations,” Araghchi said.
Turning to Iran’s discussions with Oman, Iran’s top diplomat said the talks were focused on establishing a new maritime route through the Strait of Hormuz. He said the negotiations had reached their final stage, with specialists working on routes that would replace the previous navigation arrangements.
The minister reiterated that any agreement with Oman on a new maritime route should not be interpreted as a decision to reopen the strategic waterway.
“Of course, this does not mean the opening of the Strait of Hormuz,” Araghchi said, adding that reopening the waterway would depend on several conditions.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei previously said Tehran was not engaged in negotiations with Washington and that the only ongoing discussions were bilateral talks with Oman on ensuring safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Baqaei described the talks as an effort by the two littoral states to establish a temporary arrangement for safe maritime passage. An IRGC spokesman, General Hossein Mohebbi, separately said the reopening of the strategic waterway was “completely independent” of the Iran-Oman negotiations and would depend on Washington accepting Iran’s conditions.
Araghchi also reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to ‘resistance in the face of pressure and coercion.’
Speaking at an event entitled “Muharram and Ashura in the Mirror of Foreign Ministry Documents” in Tehran, he said the Ashura uprising remained a lasting example of resistance to oppression, deviation and corruption and of defending human dignity.
Referring to the legacy of Imam Hussein, Araghchi said true courage was not measured by victory on the battlefield but by the willingness to make sacrifices in defense of principles. He invoked the enduring principle that “death with dignity is more honorable than a life of humiliation,” presenting it as the ideological foundation of resistance.
“With this ideological and, of course, strategic understanding, Iran has stood firm on its commitment to resistance despite all pressures and, God willing, will continue to stand firm,” Araghchi said.
He added that Iran was now “standing against the storm of injustice and oppression” and would remain committed to the sacrifices made in defense of its independence and national dignity.
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