TEHRAN - Speaking during an unannounced appearance at the Foreign Ministry’s weekly press conference on Monday, Araghchi paid tribute to the family of Martyr Nima Rajabpour, a media professional killed in the Israeli regime’s airstrike on the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) headquarters.

“The recent 12-day war will go down as a historic moment for Iran,” Araghchi said. “The Zionist regime, backed by major powers and other actors, launched a calculated act of aggression against us, believing they could bend Iran to their will. But the Iranian people showed they are deeply rooted in this soil — winds, or even major storms, cannot uproot them. These roots stretch back thousands of years.”

“They thought silencing IRIB would silence Iran’s voice. But the opposite happened,” he noted.

He praised the work of journalists during the conflict, calling them "narrators of the battlefield," and stressed that shaping the public narrative is now a frontline in itself.

“Journalism is no easy task,” he said. “What matters today is whose version of events prevails. The one who delivers the first account often sets the tone. Journalists bear this responsibility, and we fully acknowledge the importance of their role.”

He concluded by marking Journalists' Day, named in honor of Martyr Mahmoud Saremi — a journalist killed alongside Iranian diplomats — saying the battlefield, diplomacy, and the media are all interconnected.