- US President Trump said Iran's president seeks a ceasefire and is less radical than before
- Trump stated a ceasefire depends on the Strait of Hormuz being open and clear
- Iran's Foreign Minister Araghchi said Tehran plans to continue fighting without deadlines
US President Donald Trump said that Iran's president, whom he called "much less radicalised" and "far more intelligent" than his predecessors, wants a ceasefire.
In a post on Truth Social, ahead of his address to Americans on the state of war, Trump said, "Iran's New Regime President, much less Radicalized and far more intelligent than his predecessors, has just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE!"
The Republican leader claimed that a ceasefire would only happen when the Strait of Hormuz is "open, free, clear".
"We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!", Trump wrote.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an interview with Al Jazeera on Tuesday that Tehran intends to keep fighting.
“You cannot speak to the people of Iran in the language of threats and deadlines,” he said. “We do not set any deadline for defending ourselves.”
US-Iran Talks
Araghchi has also acknowledged that he was in direct talks with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. The comments by Araghchi came in an interview with Al Jazeera aired late Tuesday. He insisted that the messages didn't constitute negotiations.
"I receive messages from Witkoff directly, as before, and this does not mean that we are in negotiations," he said.
He added, "We do not have any faith that negotiations with the US will yield any results. The trust level is at zero."
Asked about a possible ground offensive by the US, Araghchi said, "We are waiting for them."
"We know very well how to defend ourselves," Araghchi reportedly told the Qatar-based broadcaster. "In a ground war, we can do it even better. We are completely ready to confront any sort of ground attack. We hope they do not make such a mistake."
On Iran's plan for ending the war, the Iranian leader said, "Our conditions for ending the war are clear. We will not accept a ceasefire."
About a week ago, it was reported that Araghchi and Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf were temporarily removed from Israel's hit list in order to allow negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
