Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said the country’s supreme leader was alive, along with all high-ranking officials, after Israel and the United States launched strikes across the country.

Araghchi told NBC News that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was alive “as far as I know”, in an interview from Tehran with the US outlet.

Araghchi said he had been in contact with Gulf states and “explained for them that we have no intention to attack them but we are actually attacking the American bases in the act of self-defence”.

He added that while there was no communication with Washington now, “if Americans want to talk to us. They know how they can contact me. We are certainly interested for de-escalation”.