Ismail Baqai, the spokesman of the Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Republic, said that the trip by Oman’s foreign minister has no connection to the visit of the commander of Pakistan’s army to Tehran, and that the issue is bilateral relations, security, and transit through the Strait of Hormuz.

Regarding the war, Baqai said: “We will not allow the end of the war to be based on the conditions of the invading side.” He added: “We did not start this war and did not welcome it; rather, we used every tool to prevent it.”

In response to a question about some Western sources saying that the Islamic Republic has adopted a poker-style approach and accepting higher risk, he said: “We have been chess players for a long time; during this period we have also become poker players, and in the recent period we are playing a combination.”

Baqai also said: “America, which was supposed to come to help the people of Iran, uses every tool to hit them.”

The Foreign Ministry spokesman called the naval blockade an “aggressive act” and said: “We are not helpless in this regard.” He added: “No country has the right to cooperate with the United States in an economic war.”