The former Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharrazi He died on Thursday in Tehran at the age of 81 as a result of injuries suffered in a bombing attributed to USA and Israel on April 1, according to Iranian authorities cited by the agencies More and ISNA. His wife died in the same attack. The death was also confirmed by relatives to the agency IRNAwhich stated that it occurred “a few hours before midnight”.
Kharrazi served as foreign minister between 1997 and 2005 during the reformist president’s government. Mohammad Khatami. In recent years he held the position of head of the Strategic Council for International Relations, a body dependent on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, and served as advisor to the supreme leader. Ali Khamenei. He also represented Iran at the United Nations in New York.
The death occurred in the context of a series of attacks directed against high-ranking figures in the Iranian regime since February 28, when the United States and Israel launched offensives that marked a new phase of the war in the Middle East. Since then, a succession of deaths have been recorded within Iranian political and military structures.
Between March and April, casualties in the Iranian leadership included the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Lariyaniand to the Ministers of Defense and Intelligence, Aziz Nasirzade and Esmaeil Khatib. The sequence of attacks focused on key figures in the political and security leadership.
According to information from Mehr and ISNA reproduced on Telegram, the attack that caused Kharrazi’s death was described by the official environment as a “terrorist attack perpetrated by the American-Zionist enemy.” Iranian agencies also defined it as “martyr”.
Iran’s first vice president, Mohamad Reza Aref, described the former foreign minister as “a symbol of strategic rationality and diplomatic authority”according to statements collected by Tasnim. In this framework, he questioned the adversaries by stating that they fail to “convincingly explain the regime’s strategies in the international arena” and maintained that the attacks reflect “the desperation of those who seek evil.”
The bombing that hit Kharrazi’s home in Tehran occurred in the midst of the military campaign that has intensified since the end of February. Official Iranian media reported that his wife died in the same attack. The succession of events is part of an escalation of operations directed against members of the leadership of the Iranian regime.
Mojtaba Khamenei threatened to maintain military pressure as negotiations with the United States progress
The supreme leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khameneistated on Thursday that the Islamic Republic has no intention of maintaining an armed conflict, although it warned that it will not give up its national interests within the framework of the upcoming negotiations with the United States. “We do not seek war and we do not want it. But we will not give up our legitimate rights under any circumstances and, in this sense, we consider the resistance front as a whole”, he expressed in a statement broadcast on state television.
The message was spread in the context of mourning the death of his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, killed during the initial attacks of the conflict, and was aimed at both Iranian society and the Gulf countries. Khamenei stressed Iran’s determination to protect its regional interests and highlighted internal mobilization. “Their voices in public squares undoubtedly influence the outcome of the negotiations.“, he said, while urging the population to stay on the streets after the ceasefire agreement.
The statement was released while a two-week ceasefire is in force between Iran and the United States, after intense fighting and threats. Khamenei noted that the management of the Strait of Hormuz will enter a “new phase”without detailing changes, and called on the Gulf countries to respond appropriately to “show them (their) brotherhood”.
He also warned about the “false promises from enemies” and reiterated the commitment to seek justice for the victims, who according to official figures exceed 3,000. The statements come in the run-up to the meeting between delegations from both countries scheduled for this weekend in Islamabad.
(With information from AFP and EFE)
