The government of Iran has called for firm security guarantees as a condition for any ceasefire with the United States and Israel, according to remarks reported on Tuesday.

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister, said a ceasefire would be meaningless without assurances that military attacks against Iran would not resume.

His comments were reported by the Iranian newspaper Shargh.

“If a ceasefire is to be established or the war is to end, there must be a guarantee that aggressive actions against Iran will not be repeated,” Mr Gharibabadi said.

He added that Iran was not responsible for initiating the conflict.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran was not the initiator of the war and aggression,” he said.

Mr Gharibabadi also defended Iran’s recent missile strikes, saying they were conducted in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, which allows for self-defence in the event of an armed attack.

According to the report, several countries have recently attempted to mediate between the parties involved in the conflict.

Those efforts reportedly included China, Russia, and France, as well as several unnamed regional states.

(dpa/NAN)