Iran vows to fight until ‘complete victory’

“Iran’s powerful armed forces are always proud, victorious and steadfast in their efforts to fully protect the country. This path will continue until complete victory,” Major General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, spokesman for the Iranian army’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Command, announced today.

General Aliabadi said that after the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and several senior Tehran commanders were murdered, the enemy hoped that Iran would collapse within 48 hours due to lack of leadership. But after nearly a month of fighting, the enemy has been “defeated” and Iran is moving towards “final victory”.

This official added that after suffering “defeat”, the US is looking to withdraw from the war “it caused” by contacting the leaders of several countries, but did not name them specifically.

Iranian state television today said that Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, former commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has been appointed Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, after his predecessor Ali Larijani was killed by an Israeli raid last week.

The statement was made by General Aliabadi after President Donald Trump announced on March 23 that the US and Iran had had “very good and effective discussions” in the past two days on comprehensively and thoroughly resolving hostile actions in the Middle East. He said he was negotiating with a “senior Iranian leader” to end the conflict, but not Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.

Tehran denied that it was negotiating with Washington, but Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was talking to regional counterparts.

General Aliabadi did not specify what “complete victory” specifically means, but it seems that the Iranian military is opposed to making concessions in any possible negotiations with the US, according to the news agency. AP.

Three senior Israeli officials told the news agency Reuters that President Trump seems determined to reach a deal with Iran to end the conflict in the Middle East. However, they believe it is unlikely that Iran will accept US demands when the two sides negotiate. One of those demands could be to impose restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, according to Reuters.

News page Axios said US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner could meet with Iran’s delegation as early as this week, with Vice President J.D. Vance likely to also participate. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt did not deny the information, only saying that “speculation about holding meetings should not be considered official news until there is notice from the White House.”

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on March 23 that he had a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, pledging that Islamabad would help bring peace to the region. Qatar, a country that often acts as a mediator in negotiations, also announced its support for all diplomatic efforts to end the conflict in the Middle East.