Iran Slams US ‘Betrayal’ After Deadly Strikes — Defiant Retaliation

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman has stressed that Iran has the right to defend itself against Israeli and US attacks.

In an interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday, Esmail Baghaei said, "We have every right to defend ourselves with all our might, in accordance with international law and the UN Charter."

The US and Israel launched a series of attacks on several Iranian cities, including Tehran, on Saturday, in what US President Donald Trump described as a "major combat operation."

According to Iranian media, citing the Red Crescent, at least 201 people were killed.

In response, Iran fired missiles at US military bases in Israel and several countries, including Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

Baghaei said the country's military was "defending Iran's national sovereignty and territorial integrity against these ruthless attacks."

The US-Israeli attacks came as the third round of indirect talks between the US and Iran on Iran's nuclear program concluded on Friday.

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"We were supposed to meet on Monday to discuss the technical aspects of any possible nuclear deal," Baghaei said. "And the Americans themselves acknowledged that the talks went very well. The mediator, Oman's foreign minister, described this round of talks as a significant progress."

Baghaei said this was the second time in less than a year that an attack on Iran had disrupted diplomacy. Iran and the US held several rounds of talks last year, including after Israel launched the 12-day war on Iran in June, which the US briefly joined, while Trump stated that he was committed to a diplomatic solution.

Baghaei said that the US "attacking another member of the United Nations" also poses a threat to the international body, because its core pillar, the UN Charter, provides for the use of force.

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He added, "So, I think what's at stake is not just the security and peace of this region and Iran, but also the entire fabric of international law. And the normative system built on the UN Charter."

Friends in the Region
Baghaei defended Iran's retaliatory attacks on several countries in the region.

He said, "Under international law, any place, any location, any logistical support provided to the aggressor is a legitimate target for the victim country." "So, we are not attacking any country in the region. We are friendly with all the countries in the region. What we are doing is merely defensive action."

"We have proven that we trust our friends in the region," Baghaei said. "So we try to work with the countries in the region to move this diplomatic process forward. The problem is that the United States is waging this aggressive war at the expense of everyone, including the countries in the region."


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