AmirAbdollahian: We could have targeted Israeli ports
| In an interview with NBC, our country's foreign minister said about Iran's response to the Israeli regime: We could have hit Haifa and Tel Aviv, we could have targeted all the economic ports of the Israeli regime, but our red line was civilians. |
Full text The interview of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of our country is as follows:
Host: Mr. Minister of Foreign Affairs, we appreciate your highness for accepting an interview with us. We all know that these are tense times. American viewers watching this interview on clhk are very worried about a catastrophic war between Israel and Iran. What is your message to them tonight?
Amir Abdullahian: Since the beginning of the crisis in Gaza, we have repeatedly We announced that the Islamic Republic of Iran will never welcome the development of war and tension in the region. In the incident that happened this Saturday, during which we, in the form of legitimate defense, carried out an operation on two military bases of the Israeli regime, one of which is the Iranian embassy in Damascus. >was hit by a rocket attack by the Israeli regime, we did it. Immediately after the end of our successful operation, we announced in a message to the United States that we intend to continue the operation on We do not have an Israeli regime. But we repeatedly asked America to advise the Israeli regime not to expand the war in the region. This is the method that Netanyahu follows for the survival of himself and his government. The Islamic Republic of Iran is in the positive part of regional developments; Both in the fight against terrorism in recent years and in the effort to stop the war in Gaza and return security and peace to the region, from the Mediterranean coast to the Red Sea and throughout the region.
Moderator: You have a very important question, But I will briefly ask, will Iran respond?
Amir Abdullahian: If the Israeli regime becomes adventurous and wants to carry out an operation on Iran, our response will be different than before. Our previous response was minimal and limited. We targeted only two military centers and their military bases: Navatim Air Base and an intelligence and surveillance base in the occupied Golan Heights. Both bases were involved in the attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus. If the Israeli regime does not take an adventurous action, Iran will not take any new action against the regime. Of course, last night in the American media and some of the allies of the Israeli regime, there was an uproar and it was said that the Israeli regime targeted an air base in the city of Isfahan. No; Only small birds that may be filming or spying, flew from inside Isfahan and were immediately shot down by our air defense system. It has not been proven for us that there is a connection between these tiny birds and the Israeli regime. But if the Israeli regime intends to have an adventure and act against our interests, our next response will be immediate and maximum.
Host: Our sources said Israel retaliated last night, and it was Israel that Iran bombed Your president even said that even the slightest retaliation by Israel would be met with a much stronger response. Did Israel cross that red line last night?
Amir Abdullahian: It was targeted, our military advisers fighting terrorism who were fighting in Syria and alongside the armed forces of this country to fight against terrorism and ISIS were martyred in this operation, we announced that the Israeli regime did not follow the red lines and we responded to it. What happened last night, flight two or Three microplanes and quadcopters were in a very limited space, which were immediately destroyed and no one has accepted the responsibility for this issue.
Executive: But Do you think that last night’s attack was not carried out by Israel despite the pictures of the explosions?
Host:
Is Iran before the retaliatory attack Has Israel been notified last night? Amir Abdullahian: Our defense system is an intelligent system, as soon as All 2 or 3 small birds appeared in the sky of Isfahan, were targeted and shot down. The preparedness of our armed forces is 100%.
Host: Before your attack on Israel, you informed other countries that You are going to attack, did any country inform Iran that Israel is going to attack you?
Amir Abdollahian: What happened last night was not an attack, it was the flight of two or three quadcopters, which are at the level of toys that our children use in Iran, and it was not worth that anyone He wants to inform us.
Moderator: Do you consider the issue of bombing the Iranian embassy in Syria closed and do not take further action? ?
Amir Abdullahian: We are fully prepared. When we decided to give the answer in the form of legitimate defense, we also planned on its consequences. But you should know that during the last 6 months, the Israeli regime, by abusing the situation in Gaza, attacked our counter-terrorism advisers in Syria several times and martyred them.
We exercised restraint because we did not want to expand the scope of the war in the region. Netanyahu got the wrong address from our restraint and crossed the red line and attacked our embassy with 6 missiles. There were two options before us: 1) an immediate response to Israel, 2) restraint and giving diplomacy a chance. We decided to give a chance to diplomacy and restraint, respecting the conditions of the region, the need to focus attention on the Gaza issue, and the non-expansion of the war. This approach led us to refer to the United Nations Security Council. We expected that a statement would be issued in the Security Council condemning the attack on a diplomatic place and violation of the Vienna Conventions. Unfortunately, the practice of silence regarding this statement was broken by America, England and France and they opposed the issuance of the statement. So we have one option left: Iran’s clear response and warning in the form of legitimate defense. When we decided to carry out military operations against Israel, we first wanted to warn and punish the regime. We observed proportionality in the operation. We could have hit Haifa and Tel Aviv, we could have targeted all the economic ports of the Israeli regime, we could have targeted the governmental and economic institutions of the Israeli regime. But our red line was civilians. Our target was defined as purely military, namely the two military bases that were used to attack our embassy in Damascus. We wanted to show this will that we are ready to defend the interests and national security and we are also ready for the consequences after that. If the Israeli regime makes a mistake, the next response will be decisive, immediate and regretful. Shouldn’t he launch missiles towards Israel or attack it?
Amir Abdullahian: After we destroyed the two military bases that were used to attack our embassy by missiles and drones sent targeted, we sent a message to the Swiss ambassador in Tehran at 2:30 am on Sunday this week as the protector of American interests. In the message, we said: “Iran never seeks to expand the scope of the war, we gave our proportionate response to the Israeli regime in a limited and minimal form.” Therefore, as long as there is no new adventure by the Israeli regime against Iran’s interests, we will not have a new reaction to it.
Moderator: /strong>One of the commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is responsible for protecting all of Iran’s nuclear facilities, said; “If Israel attacks nuclear facilities, Iran’s nuclear policy will also change.”, we know that the attack happened last night in the city of Isfahan, and we know that there are nuclear research facilities there and these facilities are also used for uranium enrichment. Did Israel ignore Iran’s warning?
Amir Abdullahian: We do not confirm that the Israeli regime carried out an attack last night. We are checking carefully. What happened last night was the short flight of 2 or 3 quadcopters that took off from Isfahan in the sky of Isfahan. But regarding the nuclear program, the nuclear program of the Islamic Republic of Iran is always peaceful. What is worrying now is the existence of numerous nuclear warheads with the Israeli regime. A regime that has crossed red lines for 6 months and is responsible for genocide and combined war crimes. Many times some officials of Netanyahu’s government suggested to use atomic bomb to win in Gaza. The nuclear danger is related to the ambitions and war crimes of the Israeli regime. Calculation error, we answer
Moderator: Iran entered the war with Israel, your country sent two generals, five members of the IRGC lost in the attack on the Syrian embassy, tens of thousands of Gazans have been killed, when you look back and think about the October 7th attack on Israel, do you think Hamas went too far?
Amir Abdullahian: We were not involved in the operation that Hamas did. . But there is one fact: the root is not in October 7, the root is in 75 years ago, the root is in the 75 years of occupation of the Palestinian land. The Israeli regime is not a legitimate government, the Israeli regime is an occupying power based on international law. The long period of occupation does not create any right for the occupying power. The nature of the land of Israel is occupation based on international law. International law says that liberation groups can take action to defend their land and get their country out of occupation. Hamas is not a terrorist group, Hamas is a rooted popular movement and a liberation movement against the occupation. The root is in occupation, that root must be taken into consideration. The root is not on October 7.
Host: I know you’ve been a diplomat for decades. Was it worth it for Hamas to do such actions and as a result lead to such events?
Minister of Foreign Affairs of our country: Hamas makes decisions in line with the interests of the Palestinian people. Hamas makes decisions according to the wishes of the Palestinian people. Hamas has acted in line with the UN resolutions and the laws that have been taken into consideration to determine the fate of this country. We support the action of Hamas in confronting the sinister phenomenon of occupation. From the beginning of this crisis and since October 7, we have clearly stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran has never supported the killing of civilians and the killing of women and children anywhere in the world.
Host: Do you wish the war in Gaza had ended?
Amir Abdullahian: Not only did we put a lot of effort into this in the last six months, but also during my recent trip to New York with the United Nations officials and with Mr. Antonio. Guterres, we proposed very important and practical ideas on the ground to stop the war, immediate exchange of prisoners, the withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from Gaza, the return of Gaza residents to their homes and areas. We believe that the time has come for the Secretary General of the United Nations to take an initiative in this important position and take action to immediately stop the war in Gaza. The cessation of war in Gaza means the return of peace from the shores of the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. We will all benefit from this lasting peace and security. Does it have more influence on Hamas than the United Nations? Can’t Iran do more to end this war?
Amir Abdullahian: Firstly, Hamas has put very reasonable ideas on the table. The ambitions of Netanyahu and the Israeli regime have caused the failure of the plans that have been followed for months by our brothers in Qatar and Egypt, who are pursuing ideas as mediators. A major part of the reason for not reaching the result is the maximum demands and the occupationist view of the Israeli regime towards parts of Gaza. I declare frankly: the Israeli regime did not achieve any of its goals in the war. The Israeli regime could not destroy Hamas, could not arrest Hamas leaders, could not disarm Hamas inside Gaza, could not destroy the defense facilities of the resistance and the liberation movement of Hamas; As a result, he started killing women and children. Even now, the Israeli regime wants to achieve what it did not achieve in the field, at the political negotiation table. In a political negotiation, expectations should be reasonable and pragmatic. In the first week after October 7, at our suggestion and with the agreement of Mr. Ismail Haniyeh and Hamas leaders, Hamas accompanied a temporary ceasefire and the exchange of women and children prisoners. This plan was implemented by the initiative of Qatar, supported by Egypt, and we had a successful movement. Hamas is a logical current in Palestine. They paid attention to the realistic political solution, and we have always seen in the consultation and interaction with Hamas that progressive and realistic and even democratic ideas are put on the table by Hamas.
We talked with Hamas about this before. About three weeks ago, the political leader of Hamas, Mr. Ismail Haniyeh, was in Tehran. High-level talks were held. They have the necessary preparation for the exchange of prisoners in the form of a political and humanitarian package that includes all issues. In my opinion, now is a good opportunity and the Secretary General of the United Nations can make a serious move to reach an agreement package that includes the exchange of prisoners.
Host: Do you want Hamas to release all civilian hostages?
Amir Abdullahian: I believe that in the form of a package that subjects It can be seen differently and have a schedule, we can reach a conclusion. Undoubtedly, the exchange of prisoners will be an important part of it, with a human perspective that Hamas will consider. Do you think the Biden administration is honest in its actions to recognize a Palestinian state after the vote against Palestinian membership in the United Nations?
Amir Abdullahian: Look, in my opinion, Mr. Biden’s government has put a series of slogans on its agenda on the issue of Palestine and Gaza and a series of behaviors from him It can be seen. We see that America’s speech and behavior are contradictory. For example, America says on the one hand, I am trying for a ceasefire, but it does not use its authority well to force Netanyahu to accept the ceasefire. You see, regarding the issue of the attack on the Iranian embassy by the fighters of the Israeli regime, the Americans sent us a message and said that we were not aware of this attack and that coordination and the green light were not shown to Israel from our side. If we accept that this statement of America and the White House is true, we must accept that Netanyahu does not follow any red line. If Netanyahu does not observe any red line that America is sensitive to, why all the support for Netanyahu? Why is it that America is talking about peace and a cease-fire and the return of security to the region and the non-development of war, in this same America, a decision is made to send another billion dollars in arms aid to Israel, and American officials are interviewed about it? If the United States wants Netanyahu not to cross red lines, why is Bayaniya’s statement condemning the violation of international law subject to a protest vote by the United States? And the United States refuses to support the well-known Vienna Conventions, which are important for the immunity of all diplomats and diplomatic places? It should be noted that Israel was attacked by Hamas. In your opinion, can America with the help of Iran mediate a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel?
Amir Abdullahian: I said to the Secretary General of the United Nations: “You can talk with different parties. Prepare a plan to stop the war in Gaza, taking into account other aspects such as the exchange of prisoners, the large-scale sending of humanitarian aid, the withdrawal of the military, and the withdrawal of the military from Gaza, with all its dimensions. You can present a pragmatic and realistic plan in this situation where the developments in Gaza are nearing their boiling point. That is, in the future, every possibility is conceivable in Gaza and in the region; This means a threat to international peace and security, the current developments reaching a boiling point. I said to Mr. Secretary General, whatever initiative you put on the table, we will use our relationship with Hamas and we will try to get a realistic political initiative to get out of this situation.
Host: As you know, the US elections are coming up, with whom Iran prefers to negotiate; Biden or Trump?
Amir Abdullahian : American people should like. Whatever choice the American people make is related to the American society itself. We have known principles in our foreign policy. For us, there is no difference between Democrats and Republicans. The real difference is to be found in America’s behavior. We will be judged by America’s behavior. If the American behavior is based on non-interference and respect for the Iranian people and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iran, whatever the American people choose will be respected.
Host: Is there really no difference between Biden and Trump for Iran?
Amir Abdullahian: It is a fact that the methods of Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump may be different in applying foreign policy. But during Mr. Biden’s term, we did not see any significant progress in the issues on the table between Iran and the United States, including the JCPOA issue. We showed a lot of goodwill in this regard. But Mr. Biden continued Trump’s maximum sanctions policy in a different way. Therefore, our judgment is not based on which party will rule in America and which person will be the president. Our judgment is based on the behavior of the White House and the government of American men. If Iran and Iranians are treated with respect, our response will be reciprocal and with respect.
Host: Iran celebrated the 45th anniversary of its Islamic revolution. We have received reports of Iranians’ dissatisfaction with the economy and dissatisfaction with the government. There are also complaints about violations of human rights and civil rights. What can you tell the world about the next 45 years?
Amir Abdullahian: In the last 45 years, we have made great progress, firstly in the field of political independence and secondly in the field of developments related to science, technology, industries, defense, etc. In some subjects, we are now among the first 5 or 10 countries in the world, even in the subjects of new technologies and in the fields that were not allowed to us due to the embargo, we have made fundamental progress with the help of people and youth. Regarding economic problems, this is a fact. Part of them has happened to the illegal policies and unilateral sanctions of the United States and the creation of fear by the United States for other countries. Another part is the existence of economic problems in the entire region, which will not be limited only to Iran. We have overcome great obstacles. Today, our country is in one of its most powerful positions in the field of science, knowledge, technology and defense. In the economic field, with the efforts of our people, our youth and the programs that my government has put on its agenda, a bright future will be established for Iran and the Iranian people. Our government will also achieve great success in this direction with the help of the people. Sanctions hurt us, but taught us great lessons and brought great results and achievements to Iran today.
| © | Webangah News Hub has translated this news from the source of Tasnim News Agency |
