‘Iranians fully united & prepared to defend their land’: Tehran
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Tehran: Iran has accused the United States of attempting to seize its oil and natural gas resources and divide the country, as tensions continue to escalate amid the ongoing war.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei alleged that the United States had launched military action while Iran was fully engaged in diplomatic talks. He said the attack demonstrated that Washington’s objective was to violate Iran’s sovereignty, weaken its people and undermine the country’s dignity. According to Baghaei , the Iranian people remain united and fully prepared to defend their territory.
He also strongly criticised US President Donald Trump over remarks suggesting that he wanted to personally select Iran’s next Supreme Leader. Baghaei said the future leadership of the country would be determined solely by the will of the Iranian people.
Despite the growing conflict, Baghaei said Iran remained committed to maintaining relations with its neighbouring countries. However, he warned that Iran reserved the right to defend itself if military bases in other countries were used to launch attacks against Iranian territory. He added that any such defensive response should not be interpreted as a hostile act against those nations.
Baghaei also denied Iran’s involvement in alleged attacks on Turkey, Cyprus and Azerbaijan. He said no aggression had been launched from Iran against those countries and claimed that Iran had repeatedly warned that hostile forces might stage attacks in an attempt to create divisions between Iran and its neighbours. He described the conflict as a war forced upon Iran rather than one of its choosing.
At the end of the news conference, Baghaei paid tribute to Iran’s armed forces, saying their sacrifices were shaping the country’s future and would not be forgotten.
Meanwhile, the human toll of the conflict continues to mount. Iran’s Deputy Health Minister Ali Jafarian told Al Jazeera that the death toll from the attacks had reached 1,255, with 12,000 people injured. The victims ranged in age from an eight-month-old baby to an 88-year-old. Around 200 of the dead were women.
Jafarian also said 11 health workers, including four doctors, two nurses and three emergency personnel, had been killed, while 55 others had been injured in the attacks.
