Iranian authorities on Monday defended the “right” of countries like Saudi Arabia to use nuclear energy, statements that come after the agreement reached last week with the United States to boost nuclear cooperation between the parties.
The spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Esmaeil Baqaei, warned during a press conference that Israel will “do everything in its power” to prevent “nuclear technologies from being transferred” to Middle Eastern countries, although he emphasized that everyone has the right to make “peaceful use of nuclear energy.”
“The reason for the pressure on Iran has been the use of this right. We leave this on the table for the world to judge,” he said, while calling on countries in the region to stop participating in the conflict, for which Tehran primarily blames the United States.
“Of course, the participation of countries in the region cannot be ignored,” Baqaei noted. “We hope that these countries will not continue to cooperate with the United States in perpetrating actions against Iran,” he lamented, although he did not name any other specific country.
Regarding the talks with Oman to find a solution to the serious crisis in the area, he affirmed that these contacts “continue,” but pointed out that the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. “There have been very useful conversations on how to manage traffic in the area,” he said, referring to the negotiations with Oman that took place on Friday and Saturday.
Furthermore, he assured that the country “will respond more forcefully to future attacks” against the country and insisted that the Army is “more alert than ever and prepared to confront any threat and conspiracy by enemies.”
“We will continue to defend the territorial integrity and independence of the country, and we will respond forcefully,” he said, according to a statement collected by the Iranian news agency Tasnim.
However, he assured that he has not yet requested to resume talks with the United States. “This is not war management. The repeated war crimes that are being recorded are mere attempts to escape the disaster they have created under the influence of the Zionist regime, and they will inevitably have to pay the price,” he lamented.
He also reiterated that the attacks perpetrated by Ukrainian forces against Iranian vessels in the Caspian Sea are “illegal” and constitute a “violation of all existing international laws.” “This is a dangerous maneuver and we have the right to respond,” he declared.
“The consequences of this could spread to different parts of the world, which worries countries bordering the Caspian Sea,” he warned, before stressing that Tehran “has never intended to intervene” in that war.
Previously, the country’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araqchi, condemned the Ukrainian attack on an Iranian commercial vessel and assured that it is a “violation of the United Nations Charter” that “cannot go unanswered.”
