May 15: Leader lauds third sacred defence as Iran charts new political and diplomatic course

By Press TV Website Staff

Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, in a message on Friday, placed Iran’s cultural identity at the heart of the nation’s current situation, calling on writers, artists, and intellectuals to follow in the path of Ferdowsi and immortalise the Iranian nation’s latest “sacred defence.”

Meanwhile, senior Iranian officials emphasised the country’s unwavering political and diplomatic posture in the face of Western pressures.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf warned that continued US militarisation around the Strait of Hormuz risks triggering a global financial shock amid Washington’s spiralling debt.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described uranium enrichment talks as approaching an impasse, criticised the United Nations’ outdated governance structures, and expanded regional diplomacy with high-level meetings during the BRICS conference in New Delhi.

Key developments on day 77 of the war, the thirty-seventh day of the ceasefire:

• Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Khamenei called on Iran’s cultural and artistic figures to rise to the level of the legendary Iranian poet Ferdowsi and immortalise the story of the nation's latest "sacred defence".
• Marking the commemoration of Hakim Abolqasem Ferdowsi and the preservation of the Persian language, the Leader said the Persian language represents a vast capacity to promote Iran's Islamic civilisation globally.
• Iran's Majlis (Parliament) speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf warned that the United States’ attempts at sustaining military escalation near the Strait of Hormuz could trigger a fresh global financial crisis at a time when Washington's national debt already stands at a whopping $39 trillion.
• Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran and the United States have almost reached an impasse over the “very complicated” issue of uranium enrichment, which is not on the agenda of talks for the time being.
• FM Araghchi urged fundamental reforms to the United Nations and international governance structures, noting that current systems have lost legitimacy and serve only the interests of a limited group of powers.
• Araghchi met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, discussing regional stability amid a series of high-level diplomatic engagements on the sidelines of the BRICS foreign ministers' meeting.
• Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi said Tehran is keen to promote cooperation with the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organisation (AALCO) on combating unilateral coercive measures and supporting multilateralism.
• Iran’s National Olympic Committee said the country’s delegation to the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal, will compete under the symbolic title “From Makan to Dakar,” honouring martyred Iranian teenager Makan Nasiri.
• The former chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said Iran will not hold negotiations with the United States as long as Washington does not meet the preconditions set by Tehran.
• Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei censured certain neighbouring countries for their betrayal during the recent illegal US-Israeli war of aggression against the Islamic Republic.
• Bahraini senior cleric Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim praised the martyred Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei as a “revolutionary figure who returned the Ummah to Islam and succeeded in preserving the unity of the Islamic Ummah along its correct path.”
• Iran’s embassy in London condemned the new UK sanctions and anti-Iran accusations as “unfounded” and “politically motivated.” On Monday, UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper announced sanctions against several organisations and individuals allegedly linked to “Iranian-backed hostile activity” against the UK and its allies. The measures include asset freezes, travel bans, and the disqualification of directors.
• Pro-resistance Handala hacker group announced that it has hacked the accounts of Samuel Shay, the planner behind Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the UAE in March and the principal architect of the Abraham Accords, noting that it has exposed his covert network.
• Former US congressman and three-time presidential candidate Ron Paul admitted that the US has been defeated in the war against Iran, despite “the trillions extorted from Americans for the most expensive military on earth.”
• Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced that the Tel Aviv regime intends to establish illegal settlements in southern Lebanon while encouraging the mass displacement of Palestinians from the besieged Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.
• The United Arab Emirates failed in an attempt to convince other Arab member states of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to join Abu Dhabi in a coordinated military campaign against the Islamic Republic, Bloomberg reported.
• Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez defended Spain’s decision not to participate in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, stating that the country could not remain silent in the face of Israel’s genocidal actions against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip and its aggression against Lebanon.

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