Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Iran knows "no limits" in defending its national interests and territorial integrity following the Israeli regime’s act of aggression against Iranian military installations.
"I think we have proved that our determination to defend ourselves knows no limits. We have proved this during eight years of war with [former Iraqi dictator] Saddam Hussein and in the face of the US hostilities over the past years," Araghchi said in an interview with the official website of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Saturday.
He added that Iran has proved in many cases, including the US sanctions, that it sets no boundaries for defending its people.
The top Iranian diplomat’s remarks came after Iran’s air defense force confirmed Israeli attacks targeting positions in Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam provinces, saying the aggression was successfully thwarted.
The Iranian Army said four of its servicemen had been martyred in the military attacks by the Israeli regime.
Araghchi said during his recent regional tour, he expressed the Islamic Republic’s firm stance on the developments in the region and defense of itself and the axis of resistance.
In just over two weeks, the Iranian foreign minister visited Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, Oman, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Bahrain and Kuwait.
He added that he informed regional states of Iran's ability to defend itself and its capability to strike back at those who intend to attack the country.
He warned adversaries not to “test the will of the Iranian nation and the will of the Islamic Republic of Iran to defend itself.”
“We do not seek tension. We are not considered a threat to our neighbors in the Persian Gulf region and beyond,” the top Iranian diplomat emphasized.
However, he said, Iran does not apply such a policy when it comes to the Israeli regime and extra-regional powers.
Araghchi noted that Iran strongly conducted two separate missile attacks on Israel – dubbed Operation True Promise I and II – which were a “complete manifestation of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s full power of defending itself.”
In a statement on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli airstrikes as a blatant violation of international law and the UN Charter, reiterating the country’s right to defend itself against foreign acts of aggression.
Araghchi further noted that he has told regional countries that Iran is strongly determined to continue the path of defending the Palestinian people in the face of the Zionist regime.