"We have clearly informed the Americans. The decision to sanction Israel, approved by the Supreme National Security Council of Iran headed by the president, will be the only and final act of retaliation. After the operation, at around 2:30 a.m. on April 14, we sent another message to the US through diplomatic channels, affirming that we do not want to escalate tensions in the region," Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian told IRNA news agency upon arriving in New York (USA) on April 18.
Clash Point: Israel Chooses a Mindful Choice; US Missiles First Combat Action Against Iran
Iran’s foreign minister confirmed that Tehran communicated with Washington both before and after the attack on Israel in the early morning of April 14. He said the messages were relayed through the Swiss Embassy in Iran and several official diplomatic channels to accurately express the implications of the action, preventing tensions from escalating and triggering a crisis in the region.
Iran's foreign minister said his country has no intention of targeting US military bases and interests in the region unless the US starts a war first.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian
Iran and the United States have had formal diplomatic relations since 1980. Thanks to its neutral stance, the Swiss diplomatic service acts as a representative of US interests in Iran. Both the US and Iran have repeatedly mentioned Switzerland's role as an intermediary in relations between the two countries.
According to Mr. Amir Abdollahian, after the attack that flattened the Iranian consulate in Syria on April 1, Tehran "tried to exercise restraint out of consideration for the regional situation".
Iran said it had repeatedly appealed to the UN Secretary-General to ask the UN Security Council to fulfill its obligation to "condemn Israel's actions," but had not received a proper response. Iran therefore decided to respond to Israel "within the framework of international law and the legitimate right to self-defense," according to Tehran's statement.
Earlier, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on April 15 that Washington had exchanged views with Tehran, but had never received any information regarding the time frame or Iran's target in the attack over the weekend, according to Reuters.
Kirby did not reveal to reporters the content of those exchanges. He affirmed that the information that Iran informed the US about its attack plan was "completely untrue" and "ridiculous". The Pentagon also affirmed that the US had not been informed by Iran about the attack on Israel, while emphasizing that Washington did not want a conflict with Tehran.
Iranian officials gave wide notice days before the drone and missile attack on Israel, Turkish, Jordanian and Iraqi officials said on April 14.
Source link
Comment (0)