Kamal Ghorui
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, along with top Tehran officials in capital, made a rare public appearance on Tuesday, joining pro-regime rallies in the city to mark “Islamic Republic Day.”Amid soaring tensions in the Middle East and ongoing threats to senior Iranian leaders, the officials were seen casually mingling with participants, taking selfies, and moving through the crowd without visible security.Araghchi told reporters, “I came to be among them, to draw energy from the movement on the ground and to enjoy this unity and popular cohesion.” Videos of their participation quickly circulated on social media, Ynet news reported. The last time Pezeshkian and Araghchi were seen publicly was on “Iranian Quds Day,” alongside former security chief Ali Larijani, who was killed days later in a US-Israeli strike.Their appearance comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly listed “10 plagues” against Iran, including strikes targeting the country’s senior leadership, and claimed Israel was “systematically crushing the terrorist regime.”In remarks to the European Council, Pezeshkian reiterated Iran’s willingness to end the ongoing conflict, provided “essential conditions are met — especially the guarantees required to prevent repetition of the aggression.” These statements reflect Tehran’s counterproposal to a 15-point US plan, demanding mechanisms that would prevent Israel and the United States from resuming hostilities.Araghchi confirmed ongoing communications with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff but denied they constituted negotiations. “What is happening now is not negotiations, but an exchange of messages, directly or through our friends in the region,” he told Al Jazeera. “We have not sent any response to the United States’ 15-point proposal. Our conditions for ending the war are clear. We will not accept a ceasefire.”Reports indicate that Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf were temporarily removed from US and Israeli assassination lists about a week ago to allow for potential talks, which have not yet occurred. The Iranian leadership emphasized their readiness to defend the country in any scenario.
