Iran's Foreign Minister Claims US Asked Iran For Ceasefire

Iran's Foreign Minister claims that the US sent a message to Iran, urging Tehran to instruct "resistance groups" to cease attacks on American bases in the region.

"In response, we stated that the groups are independent, make their own decisions, and we respect their decisions. We will continue our actions in support of Palestine," Hossein Amir-Abdollahian stated without providing any further details.

Since the start of the Gaza war, militant groups backed by Iran have attacked US bases in the region more than 80 times.

Iran supports Hamas but says it did not play any role in the Islamist militants' October 7 terror attack that triggered the current crisis. Iran also backs the Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group that has deep ties with Hamas and Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian faction in Gaza that is also backed by Iran.

He further asserted, "The assessment of the resistance after seven days of ceasefire is that the Zionist regime continues attacks because they have not achieved anything so far."

Amir-Abdollahian's comments coincide with the circulation of several clips and photos on social media showing Palestinians being rounded up by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza. The individuals, suspected of involvement with Hamas and other terror groups, were seen blindfolded and with their hands tied behind their backs, held by Israeli troops in northern Gaza's Jabaliya.

"At the beginning of the conflict, the Zionist regime sought to destroy Hamas but failed. Meanwhile, Western supporters sent arms to Israel regularly, hoping to destroy Hamas within 15 to 20 days, but they couldn't," claimed the Iranian foreign minister.

This comes as the Israeli military announced on Thursday that it had apprehended hundreds of people suspected of terrorism, including wanted Hamas operatives, across the Gaza Strip in a single day.