Araghchi: Iran’s Enemies Turn to Economic Warfare After Military Setbacks

By Staff, Agencies

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran’s enemies have shifted their pressure tactics towards economic warfare after failing to achieve their objectives through military means, targeting the livelihoods of ordinary Iranians.

Speaking at a ceremony in the central Iranian city of Isfahan on Thursday, the top diplomat said the adversaries turned to sanctions and economic pressure once they realized the Iranian people were standing firm.

“In my view, once the enemies realized that the Iranian people are standing firm, they have now targeted the people’s livelihoods,” Araghchi said. “They want to obtain through economic warfare and sanctions what they failed to achieve through military war.”

He cited the early days of the unprovoked and illegal "Israeli"-American war on the Islamic Republic in June, noting that, as the Iranian people stood steadfast, messages were sent at the very outset urging negotiations in order to bring the war to an end.

“In the early days of the 12-day war, they were sending messages saying, ‘Let’s negotiate so we can end the war,’” the official stated.

Araghchi said the course of the aggression led to a change in tone by the United States, including on social media.

“During the 12-day war, the US president’s posts on X shifted from demanding unconditional surrender to calling for a ceasefire,” he said.

The foreign minister added that Iran, guided by the country’s leadership, chose the path of Resistance throughout the aggression.

“With the wisdom of Leader of the Islamic Revolution, we chose Resistance,” Araghchi said. “Matters reached a point where, on the twelfth day, the Americans sent a message saying that ‘Israel’ would stop operations from four o’clock in the morning, and asked that we stop [retaliating] too.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Araghchi described Resistance as the central pillar of Iran’s Islamic Revolution.

“The most important line of thought featured in the Islamic Revolution is the discourse of Resistance,” he said, adding that this approach was learned from the teachings of the late founder of the Islamic Republic Imam Khomeini and continued under the guidance of Imam Khamenei.

Araghchi identified Resistance as the key to Iran’s successes in the face of pressures and crises.

“The secret of the Revolution’s victory and the secret of the Iranian people’s victories has always been, and remains, Resistance,” he noted. “In the harshest conditions and crises, the nation that prevails is the one that resists and does not abandon its principles and dignity.”

The spirit of Resistance has long defined the Iranian people and continues to do so today, Araghchi remarked.