'Iran is Ready to Continue This War Till the End, Even for 5 Years': Representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader

New Delhi: Iran has no intention of negotiating with the United States or Israel and is ready to sustain the ongoing conflict for five years or even beyond, the representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader in India has declared.

Dr Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, who represents Iran’s Supreme Leader in India, made the remarks in an exclusive interview with ANI when asked whether he sees an early end to the US/Israel-Iran attacks.

“I don’t know any deadline for this war, but I know Iran is ready to continue this war till the end, even for 5 years,” said Dr Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi.

Dismissing US President Donald Trump’s claim that Iran wants to negotiate, the Iranian official asserted that Tehran will not return to the table while under attack.

“Never ever. Iran doesn’t want to negotiate with them at this moment because they started this war. We have experienced this with them twice now. We were negotiating with them, and they attacked us,” he told ANI.

Dr Hakeem Ilahi stressed that the war was imposed on Iran and that the country will defend its sovereignty at all costs.

“They imposed this war on us, and we have to defend ourselves. We are ready to shed our blood for our dignity, for our independence, for our country. We are not ready to submit ourselves to our enemies. We will stand up till the end of this war. If global leaders want to stop this war, they have to put their voices together and try to stop it,” he said.

The representative maintained that Iran never sought conflict and blamed the other side for initiating hostilities while negotiations were underway.

“We didn’t want war… While we were at the negotiation table, they attacked us and initiated this war… These global problems and the conflict are not because of Iran, but are created by the other side. We are not happy with the suffering of other people, the shortage of gas, petrol, or oil, but we have to defend ourselves… It is the duty and responsibility of the leaders of the world to put pressure on the United States to ask them, please, we are suffering and stop this war,” Dr Hakeem Ilahi added.

Asked on civilian casualties, including of Indian civilians, in the retaliatory attacks from Iran across the Gulf, Dr Ilahi told ANI, "Yes... Yes, unfortunately."

On being questioned if he considered it unfair, he said, "The war is unfair. They initiated war... Why don't the leaders of these countries criticise the initiator of the war? Instead of asking us not to defend ourselves, it would be better if they went to the aggressors, the initiators of this war, and told them that a lot of people are suffering."

Speaking to ANI about US' claims that they have destroyed Iran's top leadership and Navy, Dr Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi, representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader in India, says, "Yes, they have killed a lot of Iranians... But if one is martyred, the second one will step up... But they cannot kill 90 million Iranians because they are all leaders... When they killed the Supreme Leader of Iran, they were thinking that everything would be over, and they could do whatever they wanted... They killed, yes, some of our commanders and generals, but nothing happened because Iran works on a very good system. In each position, there are five to six people ready to step up if the first one is killed..."

The comments come amid heightened tensions in West Asia, with Iran vowing resolute resistance against what it describes as unprovoked aggression.