Iran
Iran’s ambassador to Ankara, Mohammad Hassan Habibollah Zadeh speaking to reporters on Thursday, April 23, 2026. Photo: Rudaw/screengrab
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran’s ambassador to Ankara, Mohammad Hassan Habibollah Zadeh, on Thursday underscored what he described as the enduring unity of Iran’s diverse population, particularly during times of external conflict, following a more than six-week war involving the United States and Israel.
Speaking to Rudaw, Habibollah Zadeh said all ethnic groups in Iran - including “Kurds, Arabs, Baloch, Persians, Lurs, and Turks, remained united under a shared national identity."
“We are all Iranians… united inside the country,” he said, adding that this sense of solidarity was especially evident during the coordinated US-Israel campaign.
The ambassador argued that external "aggression" has historically reinforced, rather than weakened, national cohesion.
“The Iranian nation showed that when they faced aggression from outsiders, their commitment to national unity grew stronger,” he said, describing this resilience as a defining trait that has endured “for centuries.”
“With the help of God, such unity will remain,” he added.
The United States and Israel launched a preemptive air campaign against Iran on February 28, targeting more than 17,000 sites across the country over six weeks of hostilities before the sides agreed to a Pakistan-mediated ceasefire on April 8. The truce halted fighting for two weeks and paved the way for talks.
While the first round of discussions ended without a final agreement on April 11, Islamabad has recently intensified efforts to host a second round. However, as of this writing, those efforts have yet to produce tangible results.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he had agreed to extend the two-week ceasefire with Iran at Pakistan’s request, giving Iranian leaders time to submit a “unified proposal” for a potential agreement. The initial truce expired on Wednesday.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said on Thursday that he had instructed the US military to maintain the naval blockade on Iranian ports while remaining “ready and able.”
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