May 14: Iranian officials issue defiant messages, vow no surrender to whims of imperial powers

By Press TV Website Staff

Iranian officials issued a defiant message on Thursday, portraying the country's resilience and regional profile as stronger than ever before in the wake of the US-Israeli war of aggression.

President Masoud Pezeshkian praised Iranians for turning the 40-day war and its aftermath into proof that national unity can outlast external pressure, while condemning Washington and Tel Aviv for deliberately targeting sports venues and public infrastructure.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected US narratives surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, asserting that it is Washington’s “illegal blockade”, not Iranian policy, that has destabilised the world’s most vital energy corridor.

Araghchi called the UAE's alignment with visiting Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu “unforgivable,” and warned that Abu Dhabi’s active participation in the aggression has exposed the UAE as an aggressor, not a bystander.

Speaking at a BRICS summit in New Delhi, Araghchi said the Iranian people have “firmly and proudly” stood up against horrific violence and will never surrender to the whims of the US imperial power, which he asserted is “in decline.”

Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz “belongs to Iran,” while Iran’s UN mission accused Washington of pressuring other states to support a politicized resolution aimed at criminalizing Iran’s maritime activities.

Key developments on day 76 of the war, the thirty-sixth day of the ceasefire:

• President Masoud Pezeshkian said the Iranian people have proven that national unity is the key to overcoming hardship, praising their solidarity and sacrifices during the 40-day war and the subsequent reconstruction period.
• Pezeshkian said targeting sports venues and public infrastructure by the United States and Israel during the unprovoked war of aggression exposes the aggressors’ hostility toward the Iranian nation’s dignity, joy, and pride.
• Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Iranian people have “firmly and proudly” stood up against horrific violence and will never surrender to the will and whims of the US imperial power, which is “in decline.”
• Araghchi said it is the US, not Iran, that is strangling the Strait of Hormuz through its illegal blockade, amid heightened tensions in the critical maritime corridor through which a significant share of the world’s energy trade passes.
• FM Araghchi slammed the UAE for welcoming Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid US-Israeli aggression against Iran, noting that Netanyahu’s visit and meeting with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed confirm what Iran already knew. Araghchi warned that hostility toward Iran is a dangerous gamble and collaboration with Israel is “unforgivable.”
• FM slammed the United Arab Emirates for being an active partner in the US-Israeli aggression against Iran, responding sharply to baseless claims made by a UAE representative at the BRICS summit.
• Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, slammed the United Arab Emirates for being an aggressor, not merely a supporter of aggression, stating that the UAE cannot hide its aggressive nature and role behind false claims and fabricated narratives.
• Iran’s Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said the Strait of Hormuz belongs to Iran, stressing that the country "will not give it up at any cost.”
• Iran’s judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangiri sharply criticised the US over Washington’s “piracy activities,” stressing that Iran’s seizures of US-linked tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and across the Persian Gulf are carried out under clear domestic and international legal authority
• Iran's Permanent Mission to the United Nations slammed the United States for using “coercion” to rally support for its politically-motivated draft resolution targeting Iran's legitimate actions in the Strait of Hormuz.
• Mohammad-Mahdi Imanipour, the head of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation, warned that the US-Israeli aggression is not limited to the Islamic Republic, but represents a broader war against the entire Muslim world.
• Russian Security Council Deputy Secretary Alexander Venediktov pledged to work closely with Iran to find peaceful solutions to the West Asia crisis within the framework of international law, while strongly condemning US and Israeli attacks on the Islamic Republic and praising the unity of the Iranian people in the face of external threats.
• At least ten people, including women and children, were wounded, and several others were wounded, as the Israeli military pressed ahead with its air and artillery strikes against targets in southern Lebanon, despite a ceasefire agreement officially in effect.
• Facing shrinking missile stockpiles after heavy weapons use in the war against Iran, the Pentagon is rushing to procure more than 10,000 low-cost cruise missiles over the next three years, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.
• A new report said the United States used Kuwait’s Bubiyan Island in the Persian Gulf to target Iran during the recent illegal American-Israeli war of aggression against the Islamic Republic.
• ‎A Bahraini opposition group said the kingdom’s population strongly opposes the presence of US military installations on their soil, viewing them as a direct threat to national security.

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