TEHRAN – Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman has sharply denounced as hypocritical a joint statement by Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, which condemned Iran's April operation against Israeli positions in the occupied territories, an operation that was a direct response to Israel's unprecedented attack on the Iranian embassy in Syria.

In a statement released on Friday, the three countries criticized Iran for what they called “destabilizing actions” in the region. They did not, however, find fault in Israel’s blatant and dangerous breach of international law in attacking Iran’s diplomatic premises on April 1. The attack resulted in the deaths of 16 people, including a high-ranking military official and his deputy. 

“The duplicitous stance of Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, selectively applying international norms and siding with the apartheid Zionist regime, has not only failed to reduce tension in the region but has also emboldened the aggressor and intensified the Zionist regime's barbaric actions and war crimes in Gaza,” Nasser Kanaani said, adding that Iran’s operation against Israel was in line with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.

Iran’s response, which involved launching hundreds of drones and missiles from the Iranian territory, came two weeks after the Israeli strike and only targeted military sites. 

“The baseless accusations leveled by the prime ministers of Australia, New Zealand, and Canada come at a time when by providing weapons to the Zionist regime, these countries are complicit in the war crimes of the regime against the oppressed Palestinian people,” Kanaani added. “These countries also have other dark records in the region, such as direct and indirect participation in the bloody wars against Iraq and Afghanistan.”

The spokesman stressed that Iran remains committed to the principles and goals of the UN Charter and international law. However, he added that the Islamic Republic will not hesitate to act decisively to protect its national security and interests when faced with any illegal use of force.