Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), told Al Jazeera: "The US President's assessments and calculations regarding Iran were flawed, and the war was instigated by Netanyahu. It is in Washington's interest to accept our terms for ending the war; Trump's threats will yield no results. We are prepared for a decisive war."
He added: "We are aware of the US military's vulnerabilities and are better prepared than ever to counter its air strikes. We concluded that, following Washington's withdrawal from the agreement, we needed to alter our strategy towards Washington."
The Secretary of the SNSC emphasized: "We recently tested an anti-ship missile near a US aircraft carrier. We are serious about our self-defense; should an attack happen, we will target US bases and Washington's interests in the region with even greater force."
He continued: "Consultations with Qatari and Pakistani mediators are ongoing, and we have conveyed our terms to them to resume talks. We remain in contact with the Qatari mediator—who re-sent our conditions for halting the war to Washington—and are awaiting President Trump's response. Our terms include ending the war on all fronts, unfreezing our assets, and lifting the naval blockade."
Rezaei noted: "The actions taken by the US and Israel could justify our withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). We have not yet decided to withdraw from the NPT; that depends on Washington's behaviour. We remain committed to the late Leader's fatwa [banning the aquiring WMDs] and have not altered our nuclear doctrine, though we cannot predict what the future holds."
Regarding the war between Yemen and Saudi Arabia, he said: "We want the war between Saudi Arabia and Yemen to end, and I believe the Yemenis also desire an agreement with Saudi Arabia."
MNA/6951854
Your Comment