IranWire:

Faramarz Davar

The Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has released three pre-recorded video messages since Israel began striking Iran, but he has never mentioned the war, how it continued, or the ceasefire.

Under Iran’s constitution, only the Supreme Leader has the authority to declare war, accept a ceasefire, or announce peace.

Unlike his predecessor, Ruhollah Khomeini - who appointed a deputy to oversee the Iran-Iraq war - Khamenei has kept these powers only in his own hands.

As usual in his 36 years of rule, Khamenei stayed silent about the conflict, leaving even his supporters unsure whether he had agreed to the ceasefire proposed by President Trump, while he maintains little contact with officials.

The confusion grew when the Supreme National Security Council’s statement accepting the ceasefire avoided using the word “ceasefire” altogether.

Instead, it used vague language: “The struggle of fighters and wise leadership was a victory that forced the enemy to regret and accept defeat and unilaterally stop its aggression.”

A day later, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi appeared on state TV, using language that clearly showed the government was deliberately avoiding the word “ceasefire.”

“We don’t accept the ceasefire issue because a ceasefire is the product of negotiations,” Araghchi said, referring to the halt in hostilities as a “so-called ceasefire.”

He explained, “Our approved policy was that if the enemy stops attacks without preconditions, Iran will also stop attacks. When America announced its readiness for a ceasefire, our condition was met. We told the other side we don’t accept a ceasefire, but if Israel doesn’t continue, we won’t continue either.”

What currently exists between Israel and Iran is legally a “temporary ceasefire” - not a lasting agreement or a formal peace deal.

Whether or not the Islamic Republic acknowledges the term “ceasefire,” the risk of it being broken and hostilities resuming remains at any moment.

In his three video messages during the 12-day war, Khamenei clearly avoided accepting responsibility for the ceasefire - a decision only he has the authority to make in Iran.

This way of avoiding responsibility during the war stands in sharp contrast to Ruhollah Khomeini’s approach.

During the eight-year war with Iraq, Khomeini clearly took responsibility for continuing the war, refusing a ceasefire after retaking Khorramshahr, and finally accepting UN Resolution 598 for a permanent ceasefire.

His letter about “accepting the resolution and the cup of poison” explained this decision:

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