TEHRAN- Tehran promises to provide a “stronger response” in the event that Israel attacks its interests or the nation again.

During a weekly news conference on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani stated, "Iran provided a decisive and legitimate response to an illegal action by the Israeli regime against our diplomatic premises that took place in violation of the international laws.”

“But if another mistake takes place, Iran’s response will be stronger,” he added.

An act of terrorism against Iran’s diplomatic buildings in Damascus, the capital of Syria, was carried out by the Israeli regime on April 1. 

General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in Iran, together with his deputy, General Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, and five other accompanying officers, were all martyred as a consequence of the Israeli strike. 

On April 13, the IRGC launched a volley of missiles and drones into the seized territory as payback. Operation Truthful Promise, the name of the retaliatory strikes, has caused damage to Israeli military sites located throughout the occupied Palestinian territory. 

Possible EU penalties as “reward to aggressor”

In response to the retaliatory attacks, the European Union has announced plans to put more sanctions on Iran. Kanaani stated that the group would be “rewarding the aggressor” if it imposed such measures against the Islamic Republic. 

“Should they take such measure, it would go down in Europe’s history as a reprehensible action,” he added.

The spokesman said the EU has not yet imposed any punitive measures on Tel Aviv for the latter’s heinous atrocities in the Gaza Strip, but he was surprised that Brussels could proceed with sanctioning Tehran for its just retaliation against the Zionist regime. 

Kanaani, meanwhile, reminded the EU that the Islamic Republic had advanced despite prior sanctions against it. “The sanctions policy is a failed policy,” Kanaani declared, urging the bloc to “take lessons from history.”

“Isfahan incident did not warrant further investigation”

The spokesman cited the incident in which the air defense of the Islamic Republic shot down three foreign quadcopters close to the capital city of Isfahan, resulting in neither casualties or damage.

He said that after the development, Iran and the U.S. had exchanged “some messages,” but he brushed the incident off as little more than a “vexatious” step that “was not worth any follow-up on this level.”

“As a committed member state of the UN Charter, Iran proved that it had intended to punish the aggressor within international mechanisms, but unfortunately the Islamic Republic failed to fulfill its duty because of interference by the U.S. and some other members of the UN Security Council (UNSC)”, he said, in reference to a move by the U.S., France, and the UK to prevent the passage of a UNSC resolution that would have condemned Israel for its attack on the Iranian embassy.  

Regarding Iran’s nuclear program 

Elsewhere in his remarks, he detailed Iran’s nuclear activities, adding “Iran’s nuclear doctrine is completely clear. We consider peaceful use of nuclear energy to be our absolute right.”

The Islamic Republic would keep up its peaceful nuclear activities within the framework set by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the agency’s safeguards, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), he said.

“Nuclear weapons have no place in Iran’s defensive doctrine.”

The spokesman recognized the Israeli regime as a “threat to all regional countries,” adding that the regime’s October-present war on the Gaza Strip showed that “the usurping regime is no partner to peaceful plans, and thinks of nothing other than genocide and forced displacement of Palestinians.”

“Iran is definitely faced with a far-reaching view on the level of the international spheres that the issue of Palestine would not be resolved other than through putting an end to the Israeli occupation.”

Security in the Caucasus 

Security in the South Caucasus is one of the important priorities of Iran's foreign ministry and other relevant bodies, and this issue affects the security of the region, Kanaani said.

He also said that the presence of foreign military forces damages the security of the Caucasus area and strengthens militarism in the region, all of which are detrimental to peace, stability, security, and safeguarding the interests of the regional nations. 

U.S. harsh penalties 

Iran has never stopped using all of its diplomatic resources to defend national rights, particularly when it comes to the subject of the harsh U.S. sanctions being lifted, according to Kanaani. 

In order to achieve the nation’s rights through the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, we will continue to employ all of our diplomatic resources.

He continued by saying that the topic of easing sanctions is still brought up at international summits. 

It was also discussed on the sidelines of the UN Security Council meeting, he stressed. 

Incident at the Iranian embassy in Paris 

Kanaani also discussed an incident that occurred on Friday at the Iranian embassy in Paris, France, involving an individual who had made threats to blow himself up. 

The man has mental health issues, according to the spokesperson, and he didn’t have any explosives on him. 

He also added that the embassy staff’s action caused him to leave the diplomatic station. 

He said, “Given that person’s background, the French judiciary was supposed to establish a secure atmosphere for the Iranian consulate.”

Failed policy of sanctions  

According to Kanaani, in order to send messages to Washington, the Iranian foreign ministry maintains constant communication with the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which represents U.S. interests in Iran. 

He said that the sanctions program had failed, pointing out that they had already shown their effects and that they harmed the Islamic Republic while providing no advantages to those who imposed them. 

Kanaani stated that those who had previously discussed the imposition of severe sanctions against Iran are now shocked by the nation’s technical advancements and that they had to learn from their mistakes.