Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Monday, March 9, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Monday, March 9, 2026
Iran says ‘no point to talks’ amid fighting, denies striking Turkey, Cyprus, Azerbaijan
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A banner depicting Iran's slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hangs from a shade erected above the graves of recently-buried people killed in US-Israeli airstrikes at Beheshta Zahra cemetery on the southern outskirts of Tehran on March 9, 2026. (Atta Kenare / AFP)
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson downplays the likelihood of a ceasefire as long as attacks continue, Iran’s Student News Network reports, adding that Iran will continue to defend itself.
“There is no point to talks about anything but defense and crushing retaliations against enemies,” Esmaeil Baghaei says, before reiterating that Tehran has no war to fight with its Muslim neighbors but must target “facilities used by aggressors” for its legitimate defense.
The foreign ministry spokesperson also denied any Iranian attack against Turkey, Azerbaijan and Cyprus, pointing instead at what he calls “false flag attacks.”
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