“Not end of War”: Iran’s Mojtaba Khamenei after accepting two-week ceasefire

Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei has instructed all its military units to stop firing after agreeing to two-week ceasefire with the United States. But, at the same time, it made it clear that this is not the end of a war.

In a statement read on state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Khamenei said: “This is not the end of the war but all military branches should follow the Supreme Leader’s order and cease their fire.”

Iran made it clear that ceasefire does not imply end of the war and its hands remain upon the trigger in case the enemy- US or Israel - act in any way.

In a statement released after ceasefire announcement, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said: “It is emphasised that this does not signify the termination of the war... Our hands remain upon the trigger, and should the slightest error be committed by the enemy, it shall be met with full force.”

Iran’s 10-Point Proposal

US and Israel launched a joint strike against Iran on February 28, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war. Over the past 39 days, several people across countries have been killed in the conflict.

Thanking people of Iran for their sacrifices, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said: “Now we give the great nation of Iran the good news that nearly all the objectives of the war have been achieved, and your brave children have brought the enemy to historic helplessness and lasting defeat.”

Tehran further confirmed that negotiations talk will be held in Islamabad on Friday, April 10.

The US had sent a 15-point proposal to Iran, seeking ceasefire and received a revised 10-point proposal as a basis for negotiations. Sharing the details of the proposal, Iran said it emphasised fundamental points such as “controlled passage through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with Iran’s armed forces; the necessity of ending the war against all components of the Axis of Resistance; the withdrawal of US combat forces from all bases and positions in the region; establishing a safe transit protocol in the Strait of Hormuz that guarantees Iran’s dominance according to the agreed protocol; full payment of damages to Iran according to estimates; the lifting of all primary and secondary sanctions and resolutions of the Board of Governors and the Security Council; the release of all of Iran’s blocked assets and properties abroad; and finally, the approval of all these items in a binding UN Security Council resolution.”

-- Agencies