Tehran said that it “does not seek escalation in the region,” criticizing the positions of Western powers, especially the United States, after it launched an attack on Israel, and called on those countries to “evaluate” the response to the bombing of its consulate in Damascus.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said during a press conference that the Iranian strike “was necessary and proportionate,” adding that it “targeted military sites.” He added that his country “does not seek escalation”, and is “committed to international laws and rules.”
This came two days after the Iranian Revolutionary Guard launched, for the first time in its history, an attack with ballistic missiles and drones on Israel in response to the bombing of the Iranian consulate and the killing of a senior Iranian general. The IRGC did not unveil the type of weapons used in the attack, the number of missiles and drones, or their launch sites.
Kanaani expressed his reservations about international criticism, and recalled the official position declared by Tehran, saying: “The Iranian strike on some Israeli military sites is in the context of our legitimate right stipulated in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, in response to the repeated Israeli attacks, especially the recent attack on our diplomatic headquarters.”
He added that the Iranian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “acted in a professional manner, given the Security Council’s inaction” and the “irresponsible behavior” of the United States and some European countries in failing to “deter the Zionist entity.”
The official IRNA news agency quoted Kanaani as saying: “Western countries, including the United States, must respond logically and responsibly, and must appreciate Iran’s actions in order to maintain regional stability and security instead of making illogical statements and positions.”
The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman repeated previous accusations against the United States, saying: “We are convinced that without the green light from Washington, Israel would not have dared to attack the Iranian diplomatic representation” in Damascus.
Kanaani commented on the summoning of the Iranian Chargé d’Affaires in Jordan, and implicitly acknowledged an attack led by the Revolutionary Guard media, saying that it “came in response to the news reported by the Iranian media regarding Jordan, about its interception of Iranian missiles and drones that were launched towards Israeli territory.”
Foreign Minister Ayman Al-Safadi had announced the summoning of the Chargé d’Affaires of the Iranian Embassy in Amman to inform him of the need to stop “insults and questioning” of the kingdom’s positions, stressing that his country would confront “everything that poses a threat to Jordan and the security of Jordanians.”
In previous comments, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said that Tehran informed the United States that the attack on Israel would be limited, and within the framework of self-defense.
However, Kanaani said that no agreement had been made in advance with any country on how Tehran would respond militarily to Israel.
