In an interview with Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen television network, Araghchi said Tehran wanted peace, but only on terms it considered honourable.

“We have never sought war. We want peace, but an honourable peace,” he said, while stressing that Iran was prepared to continue fighting if required.

Araghchi said Iran had maintained military production throughout the conflict that began on February 28 and argued that the country’s armed forces were now in a stronger position than before the war.

“Our military position is even stronger than it was before the war,” he said, adding that Iran had the capacity to sustain military operations “for as long as necessary.”

The foreign minister also claimed the conflict had altered Washington’s perception of Iran’s capabilities, saying the US had failed to achieve its objectives, including what he described as an initial demand for Iran’s “unconditional surrender.”

On diplomacy, Araghchi said there was currently no formal negotiation process underway between Tehran and Washington, although communication channels remained open.

He noted that recent contacts had produced no significant progress.

He added that any future negotiations would be based on Iran’s national interests, the rights of its people and efforts to secure an end to the conflicts in both Iran and Lebanon.

Araghchi reiterated that Tehran viewed developments in Lebanon and Iran as interconnected, insisting that a lasting agreement would require an end to hostilities on both fronts.

“We do not consider the fate of the war between Iran and the United States and Israel to be separate from the fate of the war in Lebanon,” he said.

The Iranian foreign minister also said Tehran had warned Washington that any Israeli attack on Beirut would effectively end the ceasefire and trigger a response from Iran’s armed forces.

Commenting on Hezbollah, Araghchi described the Lebanese group as an integral part of the country’s society, political system and defence structure, arguing that it could not be ignored or removed despite the killing of several of its senior leaders.

“Resistance is an ideal. Resistance is not dependent on an individual,” he said.