Iran (IMNA) - In a wide-ranging interview with the president's communications office, Araghchi said the war had demonstrated that external forces and foreign bases not only failed to provide security but actively undermined it.
“Countries that did not have bases remained safer and suffered less from the war than those hosting American bases that were supposed to protect them. Those bases in practice protected the Zionist regime and could not defend their hosts,” he said.
Araghchi said a more accurate understanding had now emerged across the region: security in the Persian Gulf must be collective, must include economic dimensions and cannot be achieved while economic and security imbalances persist among regional states.
He said Iran's post-war foreign policy would be “completely different” from the pre-war period.
“The image of a weak Iran has been completely erased,” Araghchi said, adding that Iran had appeared weak before the war and that this misperception had invited an attack. After 40 days of resistance, he said, that image had been replaced by that of a tough and resilient Iran capable of standing on its own feet under the hardest conditions.
The foreign minister also said Western media had acknowledged that Iran's public diplomacy during the war had been “extremely strong and influential, more influential than the entire Western media.” He defended Iranian diplomats serving abroad, saying that none had left their posts despite the pressure.
Araghchi praised President Masoud Pezeshkian's role in the negotiations, describing him as the most important factor in reaching the Islamabad MoU. He said Pezeshkian had rejected a mere ceasefire following the 12-day war and insisted on an end to the conflict that would prevent its recurrence.
According to Araghchi, the Americans initially presented a 15-point text that was effectively a “surrender document,” while the final 14-point MoU demonstrated how far the negotiations had progressed.
He described Pezeshkian as a reformist in method but “completely principled” in substance, emphasizing the president's deep commitment to Iran's defensive strength and the welfare of the entire population.
“From now on, Iranians will see the image of a powerful, strong and dignified foreign policy that pursues national interests, the rights of the people and the pride of Iran,” Araghchi said.
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