Vance describes US-Iran memorandum as 'very general' one-page document

Conservative commentator Mark Levin said on Monday that Iran's leadership would remain hostile to the United States regardless of any agreement with Washington, adding that Tehran's behavior would not change under a negotiated settlement.

"Nothing we do in terms of a deal will change the behavior of this enemy," Levin wrote on X. "If you don't believe that you do not know what we are dealing with. If you do believe that you know that for them deals are made to be broken."

"The Iranian regime has not and will never change its ideology. And therein lies the problem, as nearly half a century of evil behavior has demonstrated and their own religious and political leaders and books and preaching make clear. They are about a cause, a revolution. They will not rest until it is exported everywhere, as Allah is said to command them. That is the reality. We are the enemy and must be destroyed," he added.

Commander of the IRGC Quds Force Brigadier General Esmail Qaani said on Monday Iran's military pressure strengthened its position in negotiations with the United States, adding that Washington sought a ceasefire while Tehran refused to back down.

Speaking to state media, Qaani praised Iran's negotiating team and said battlefield operations and diplomacy had worked hand in hand during the talks.

"From the tweet of the President of the United States, it is evident how his hands and feet were trembling," Qaani said. "This showed who was behind the missile launcher and who was in southern Lebanon, and that the same spirit of resistance characterized our brothers both on the battlefield and at the negotiating table."

"They were seeking a ceasefire through various means," Qaani said. "We stood firm with strength, and we prevented them from escaping and evading what they wanted," he added.

Seymour said Wellington condemned the Islamic Republic’s conduct toward its neighbors, its support for militant groups in the Middle East its activities close to New Zealand as Australia.

“There is no question that we believe this is an evil regime,” Seymour said. “We condemn their actions toward their neighbors, the sponsorship of terrorism throughout the Middle East and as near as Australia, and we especially condemn their behavior toward the Iranian people.”

He said New Zealand had not yet designated the IRGC in part because it still maintained diplomatic relations with Tehran, including an Iranian ambassador in Wellington, while New Zealand’s embassy in Iran was temporarily closed.

“Those connections can be of value,” he said. “There is some value in the connection and that’s why we have maintained our stance despite the fact that we condemn the behavior and actions of the government of Iran.”

Seymour said New Zealand’s police and intelligence agencies were “very aware” of the IRGC’s activities and were monitoring them.

“The New Zealand government and its various agencies, the police, intelligence agencies, have as a priority monitoring and controlling the IRGC and particularly protecting Iranian nationals who have become New Zealanders and make their home here,” he said.

He said he had personally discussed the issue with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, adding that the government was not currently considering further action beyond the possible terrorist designation.

Seymour also referred to a recent joint statement by New Zealand and 21 other countries condemning the Islamic Republic’s extraterritorial actions.

“We signed that letter because we and the 21 other state parties have a set of values,” he said. “We should trade value for value, voluntarily get stronger together through mutually beneficial voluntary trade rather than use violence to achieve our aims.”

He added: “That is why we condemn this regime, its behavior both inside and outside Iran.”

Seymour called the Islamic Republic’s treatment of protesters “absolutely disgraceful and disgusting,” and said the Iranian government would not endure.

“I believe the time will come when they are no longer sustainable,” he said. “They will no longer be in power because Persia has a beautiful 5,000-year history.”

He added: “The greatness of that place will not be ended by this regime. They will become a footnote in a long history of a great civilization.”

Seymour also paid tribute to the “forty-thousand freedom fighters” killed earlier this year, saying Iranians seeking freedom would ultimately prevail.

“Living freely, with dignity, safe from violence, is the only way that anybody in the world has ever been able to reach their potential,” he said. “Over time, inevitably, you will succeed because you are right and they are wrong.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that any agreement between Washington and Tehran would not restrict Israel's ability to act against Iran, even as he acknowledged he had not yet seen the details of the reported US-Iran deal.

Speaking at his first press conference since the agreement was announced, Netanyahu said that Iran would not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon "with or without an agreement" and said he had conveyed Israel's position to US President Donald Trump.

"I did not say that one of the goals of the operation was to overthrow the Iranian regime. The goal is to remove an existential nuclear threat from us, and we did that. We wanted to remove the missile threat, and we did that," i24 cited Netanyahu.

"We said that we would create the conditions for the Iranian people to want to remove this terrorist regime. Iran is in a very difficult economic situation. We have hit all the infrastructure, the damage is enormous. There are cracks in the regime. I cannot say when the regime will fall," he added.

Esmail Qaani, commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force, told the state TV on Monday that Hamas would soon rebuild, while warning the United States and Israel that Iran-aligned groups still had unrevealed capabilities across the region.

He said Hezbollah’s power in Lebanon had not been fully revealed, adding: “No one can stand against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and everything you have seen from Hezbollah in Lebanon is only the tip of the iceberg.”

Qaani also described the Bab al-Mandab Strait as one of the strategic assets of the so-called “Resistance Front.”

“Bab al-Mandab is one of the winning cards of the Resistance Front, and if necessary, other cards will also be revealed,” he said.

Addressing the United States and Israel, Qaani warned: “Do not get involved with the Resistance Front. Wherever you confronted the resistance, you were left with no dignity.”