Araghchi Claims Iran Won the War — and Trump Says No Negotiations

Iran's foreign minister declares victory over the US while Washington insists talks aren't happening.

Araghchi Claims Iran Won the War — and Trump Says No Negotiations — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told a conference with educators on Tuesday that Tehran pushed for the war with the United States to continue in order to force a ceasefire on its own terms. "We were the ones who refused the ceasefire and continued the war until we reached a point where they [the US] agreed to a ceasefire and negotiations on Iran's terms," he said, adding, "We fought with strength and negotiated with strength, and we won the war, and we won the diplomacy."[^1] The claim lands as US President Donald Trump told FOX News on Monday that Iran should raise "the white flag of surrender," and on Tuesday insisted that negotiations with Iran are not underway and are not planned.[^2] The contradiction is stark. Araghchi's victory narrative rests on the premise that Washington capitulated, yet the White House's public posture is one of no talks and continued pressure. Trump's warning that "if Oman gets in the way [of US control in the Strait of Hormuz], we'll bomb the s*** out of them" suggests the US still sees the strait as its own to police.[^2] Meanwhile, a four-day Reuters/Ipsos poll shows only 28% approve of Trump's handling of the Iran crisis, down from 34% the previous month, with Republican support slipping from 71% to 61%.[^3] The political math may explain why Washington keeps denying a process that Tehran insists it won. The gap between the two narratives is not just rhetorical. If Araghchi is right, the US accepted terms that allow Iran to claim victory; if Trump is right, Iran's foreign minister is spinning a defeat as a win. Either way, the public record now contains two incompatible versions of how the war ended. The question is which one survives contact with the next round of events — and whether either side can afford to be seen as having blinked. Election Machinery and Primary Outcomes Across Three Democracies — On Tuesday evening, the Central Elections Committee approved the placement of 159 ballot boxes in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, a move aimed at expanding elderly access to the vote.[^1] Attorney Yuval Yoaz, representing the elderly, said