'We Seek To End The War Permanently,' Says Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi: Report
· Free Press Journal
Tehran: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reportedly indicated a willingness to end the ongoing conflict in West Asia, nearly three weeks after hostilities escalated following attacks by Israel and the United States, resulting in the deaths of thousands, including top Iranian officials and former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
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وزير خارجية إيران: نسعى لإنهاء الحرب بشكل دائم #العربية_عاجل
— العربية عاجل (@AlArabiya_Brk) March 21, 2026
Call To End War
"We seek to end the war permanently," said Araghchi, according to an update on X by Al Arabiya, a Saudi Arabian state-owned international Arabic-language television news channel. However, the statement has not been independently confirmed and Araghchi has not issued any official announcement on the matter. If accurate, the remark signals a potential shift in tone from Tehran amid mounting casualties and escalating regional tensions.
‘No Victory In This War’: Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi Predicts Failure For US-Israeli CampaignVietnam Comparison, Questions US Narrative
Meanwhile, Araghchi criticised the United States’ portrayal of the conflict, comparing it to the Vietnam War era when official briefings projected optimism despite setbacks on the ground.
Referring to statements by US President Donald Trump and other officials claiming progress, Araghchi said the narrative was detached from reality, describing it as 'same script, different stage.'
Americans haven’t forgotten how, even as hundreds of U.S. soldiers were dying in Vietnam, and the outcome was already clear, General William Westmoreland was flown home to reassure everyone that the war was going well — that the U.S. was “winning.”
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) March 20, 2026
He cited incidents such as a US F-35 fighter jet making an emergency landing after a combat mission and the repositioning of aircraft carriers like the USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Abraham Lincoln as examples contradicting official claims. A US Central Command spokesperson confirmed that an F-35 had made an emergency landing, adding that the pilot was safe and the incident remains under investigation.
U.S. government says one thing, reality says another
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) March 20, 2026
Right as U.S. authorities claim Iran’s air defences r gone, an F-35 gets hit. As they declare Iran’s navy finished, USS Gerald Ford turns back, and USS Abraham Lincoln drifts farther away
Different decade, same “we’re winning”
Araghchi also invoked the Vietnam-era “Five O’Clock Follies” and references to assurances by General William Westmoreland, suggesting a similar gap between official messaging and battlefield realities today.
The media haven’t forgotten either; those briefings full of fantasy from the frontlines became infamous as the “Five O’Clock Follies."”
— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) March 20, 2026
Fast forward to today: same script, different stage; Hegseth steps up, and the message is still detached from reality.
The conflict, which began on February 28, has led to major casualties on both sides, with reports of US military losses and over 1,400 deaths in Iran. Despite the reported call for ending the war, there has been no formal move towards de-escalation so far.