Tehran will defend itself “by all necessary means,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday following US strikes on its nuclear sites.
Araghchi is trying to portray Iran as being committed to its policies and not surrendering. At the same time, he has been trying to mobilize support abroad and has asked other countries to mediate.
Tehran was hoping that European countries and Turkey might help it climb down from the current war.
Iran continues to take losses in the conflict with Israel, and the US bombing is another setback. Tehran has not been able to strike back, and it knows that US President Donald Trump is still offering it an opportunity for peace talks.
Iran wants to portray itself as continuing to dictate terms, however, or at least having some role in the momentum of the escalating conflict.
Toward that end, Iran is also making overtures to Russia. It has not been pleased by the lack of support from Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On the other hand, Tehran doesn’t want to appear weak and subservient to either Putin or China.
Araghchi might meet with Russian officials on Monday. It would be a major attempt to try to get Moscow to intercede with Trump.
Trump and his administration have reached out to Russia since coming to office. They want an end to the Ukraine war.
Keith Kellogg, the US special envoy for Ukraine, met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to seek his support for a potential peace agreement, according to reports on Saturday.
There is a chance that Russia, Turkey, and other states might help Iran out of the logjam that it has gotten itself into by overplaying its hand.
US accuses Iran of stonewalling nuclear talks
The US has accused Iran of stonewalling the talks that Trump’s administration set in motion in March and April. Therefore, it is time for Tehran to change its tune, or it might find itself in a deeper predicament.
Meanwhile, pro-Iranian voices in the Lebanese parliament have tried to excuse Iran’s failings. Hussein Jishi, a member of parliament, said US support for Israel had led to the attack on Iran. The US had supported attacks on “Palestine and Lebanon,” he said.
During a speech in Tyre expressing solidarity with Iran, Jishi said he considered the Israeli aggression against Iran “a blatant aggression against the entire Islamic nation and against all the free and honorable people in this world,” Beirut-based Al Akhbar newspaper reported.
The report highlighted comments by other pro-Iranian politicians in Lebanon. One politician said Hezbollah would stand with Iran.
So far, Hezbollah has not been doing much to aid Iran. Another member of parliament said Iran was “improving” its capabilities throughout the war with Israel. He characterized it as a war of attrition.
In this sense, the conflict is a marathon and not a sprint. It is unclear whether Iran believes this, or if its supporters are merely trying to save face after repeated blows to Tehran.
Iran also continues to threaten a response if Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is targeted. It is unclear whether the US or Israel still want to target him.