Iran‘s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said he has no confidence that Israel will respect the terms of the Gaza ceasefire, warning of a lack of trust in the Israeli government.
He said Israel’s repeated breaches of a ceasefire in Lebanon with the armed group Hezbollah, in place since last November, indicated it was unlikely to adhere to the Gaza truce plan.
“We warn about the tricks and betrayals of the Zionist regime regarding previous agreements,” Mr Araghchi said of the Israeli government. “There is absolutely no trust in the Zionist regime.”
Appearing on an Iranian radio talk show, Mr Araghchi highlighted Iran’s support for the truce, saying “any plan that serves to halt these crimes has always had our support”.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry previously said Tehran “has always supported any action and initiative that includes stopping the genocidal war, withdrawal of the occupying forces, bringing in humanitarian aid, releasing Palestinian prisoners and realising the fundamental rights of the Palestinians”.
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Mr Araghchi also cast doubt on US commitment to the ceasefire after phase one of the peace plan laid out by US President Donald Trump is implemented.
“That will be the time to see to what extent the American officials and other parties will remain committed to the claims and promises they have made,” he said.
Iran and Israel fought a 12-day war in June that began when the latter launched unprecedented strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites.
Mr Araghchi said Iran had received a message relayed by Russia indicating Israel did not want another confrontation with Tehran.
“Apparently three or four days ago there was a telephone call between [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” he said. “Netanyahu emphasised that he had no intention of restarting a war with Iran.”
Mr Araghchi said that message was relayed to Tehran’s ambassador in Russia. Iran’s armed forces, meanwhile, are in a constant state of alert and are increasing their capabilities every day, he added.