Statement of the Tudeh Party of Iran: The Announcement of a “Temporary Ceasefire” — A Step Forward Toward Achieving Lasting Peace
In the final moments before the deadline set by the fascist President of the United States to “destroy Iranian civilization” expired, it was announced that Iran and the United States had agreed on a conditional two-week ceasefire. According to this agreement, the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz will be kept as free as possible. According to published reports, this agreement was reached through the mediation of the Pakistani government.
Abbas Araghchi, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic, in a message sent on behalf of the “Supreme National Security Council” to the leaders of Pakistan, wrote:
“I would like to thank and express my appreciation to our dear brother, His Excellency Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan, and Field Marshal Asim Munir, Commander of the Pakistani Army, for their tireless efforts to end the war in the region. In response to the brotherly request of the Prime Minister of Pakistan as expressed in his tweet, and considering the U.S. request for negotiations regarding its 15-point proposals, as well as the U.S. President’s announcement of accepting the general framework of Iran’s 10-point proposals as a basis for negotiations, I hereby declare on behalf of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council:
- If attacks against the Islamic Republic of Iran cease, our powerful armed forces will also halt their defensive operations.
- For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, in coordination with Iran’s armed forces and taking into account existing technical limitations, will be possible.”
Donald Trump also wrote on Truth Social:
“The United States will work closely with Iran, which, in our view, has undergone a very constructive regime change.”
According to reports published in some American media outlets, including The New York Times and Axios, the criminal government of Netanyahu, which sought to continue the war, intensify bombardments, and destroy Iran’s economic infrastructure, is highly concerned and dissatisfied with this agreement. Despite agreeing to the U.S. deal, it has announced that Lebanon is not included in the ceasefire agreement and that it will continue its attacks on Lebanon. Some reports also indicate military strikes on the Lavan refinery on Siri Island in Iran, as well as retaliatory Iranian attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait. J.D. Vance, the U.S. Vice President, described the ceasefire as fragile and expressed hope that a fundamental agreement with Iran could be reached.
Warmongering is not limited to Netanyahu’s government. Domestic hardline forces such as Shariatmadari, Ejei, and a number of IRGC commanders and security officials are also calling for the continuation of the war in order to exploit the situation to intensify repression and execute political prisoners.
According to Khabar Online, Shariatmadari, stating that “the two-week ceasefire is a multilateral gift to the enemy,” said among other things:
“Our conflict with the system of domination is an essential one and, as our late Imam and martyred Imam said, it is a conflict over existence, not over intermediate events… Expecting the United States to abandon hostility and its efforts to destroy and devour Iran after a ceasefire and compromise is unreasonable, unscientific, and extremely naive… What stands above all that has been said is revenge for the unjustly shed blood of our عزیزان, especially our martyred Imam…”
Interestingly, it should be noted that after the agreement, Shariatmadari changed his position and claimed that his critical article had been written prior to the agreement, and in a new stance described the ceasefire as a great victory, provided vigilance and readiness are maintained.
The failure of the U.S. policy of “regime change,” aimed at installing proxies such as Reza Pahlavi or other dependent forces, is also significant for the people of our country and the anti-dictatorial movement, which, following U.S. and Israeli military aggression, focused its efforts on defending the country’s territorial integrity. Regime change in Iran is a matter of the right and authority of the Iranian people, not foreign aggressors.
In our view, the agreement on a two-week ceasefire to allow negotiations and move toward lasting peace—despite the many complexities and difficulties it will undoubtedly face—is an important step for the country’s future. Alongside this step, the fundamental demands of the popular movement for a transition away from dictatorship and for people to determine their own destiny—toward freedom and social justice—remain firmly in place. Only under conditions where peace is guaranteed can such a struggle move forward.
There is no doubt that the criminal military aggression of U.S. imperialism and the racist government of Israel against our homeland has inflicted serious damage on the country’s economic infrastructure, the repair of which will take years. The killing and injury of tens of thousands of our compatriots, who endured continuous bombardment day and night; the destruction of tens of thousands of residential units; the devastation of factories, industrial and energy sectors, power plants, educational centers, and desalination facilities; the destruction of dozens of historical and protected sites; and the severe damage to highways and bridges—constitute a catastrophe whose recovery, in the long term, depends on lasting peace and people-oriented policies aligned with the country’s strategic and national interests.
We have previously stated, and reiterate now, that the heroic defense of the country by the people—whose symbol we have witnessed in recent days in the formation of human chains on bridges and around production centers—is a clear manifestation of the Iranian people’s patriotism in confronting the criminal aggression of imperialism and the racist Israeli regime.
Reconstruction and repair of the devastation caused by war will only be possible through a major national effort. Such an effort requires the establishment of a popular and progressive government capable of scientifically and forward-looking planning to secure the country’s strategic national interests. Under current conditions, the struggle for the release of all political and ideological prisoners—who are facing extremely harsh conditions under wartime circumstances in the prisons of the Islamic Republic—the immediate halt to executions of political prisoners, and the release of those arrested during the protests of Dey 1404 are among the most important tasks of progressive and freedom-seeking forces in the country.
Tudeh Party of Iran
April 8, 2026 (19 Farvardin 1405)
