TEHRAN – Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, addressed relations with Turkey, U.S. policy shifts, and the Israeli regime’s occupation of Palestinian territories during a press conference on Monday.

In important remarks, Baqaei acknowledged Iran’s “rational approach” to managing diplomatic friction with Turkey, despite Ankara’s recent criticism of Tehran’s regional policies.

“While Tehran and Ankara hold differing views on certain regional issues, we have successfully managed differences through dialogue to prevent damage to bilateral ties,” he stated.

However, he cautioned that “unconstructive rhetoric” from Turkish officials, including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, required Iran to assert its stance “clearly and decisively.”

Highlighting Israel’s escalating military actions in Syria as a destabilizing factor, Baqaei urged Turkey to reassess its regional calculus.

“Iran remains determined to enhance security through collaboration with neighbors, including Turkey, to eliminate conflict without reliance on external powers,” he said.

The spokesman's remarks come in the wake of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's recent Al Jazeera interview, where he appeared to blame Iran for supporting former President Bashar al-Assad in his efforts to combat the terrorists that Ankara has long been suspected of funding.

"If this is Iran's policy in Syria, I do not think it is the correct one," Fidan declared, before leveling accusations of "instability" against Iran.

He added that if Tehran seeks to protect its own "glass house" from shattering, it should think twice before "throwing stones at others.”

His remarks instigated reactions from various figures in Iran, such as Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesman for the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, who stated that Iran would not passively await a "stone to hit its window," but would instead dismantle "the house" of the aggressor.
Hezbollah: Lebanon’s ‘inseparable pillar’

Furthermore, Baqaei reiterated Iran’s unwavering support for Lebanon’s Hezbollah, calling the Resistance group “an inseparable pillar of Lebanon’s governance and stability.”

“The Resistance Axis is not merely a strategic choice but a moral duty,” Baqaei asserted, describing Hezbollah as a bulwark against Israeli aggression.

He emphasized that Tehran’s relationship with Beirut is rooted in “mutual respect and shared resistance against occupation,” citing productive discussions during a February 23 Iranian delegation visit to Lebanon.

The delegation attended the funeral of Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine, assassinated by Israeli regime’s airstrikes in 2024, and also met with Lebanese leaders, including Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem and President Joseph Aoun.

U.S. ‘coercive tactics’ in Ukraine 

Baqaei also condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s presumed pressure on Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky to concede territory to Russia, calling it a “wake-up call for nations still clinging to 19th-century power politics.”

He criticized Washington’s unilateralism, including its sanctions on firms trading with Iran, and rejected foreign interference as a path to stability.

“The two World Wars taught humanity that international relations must be governed by law, not brute force,” Baqaei said, advocating for “endogenous security” rooted in regional self-reliance.

During Friday’s fiery exchange in the White House, Trump and his Vice President JD Vance told their guest Zelensky that he had “no cards” and was in no position to make requests of the U.S., accusing the Ukrainian president of not being thankful enough for U.S. military and political support during Ukraine’s war with Russia.

U.S. attempting to ‘legitimize Israeli apartheid’ in West Bank

Baqaei denounced a U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee directive to rename the occupied West Bank as “Judea and Samaria,” calling it a “desperate attempt to whitewash apartheid.”

“Changing names cannot alter the reality of occupation,” he declared. “The West Bank and Gaza are indivisible parts of historical Palestine, and no coercion can erase Palestinian rights.”

He said Washington has been complicit in “genocide against the Palestinian nation,” reaffirming Iran’s constitutional mandate to support “resistance against oppression.”

U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Brian Mast, who openly wears his Israeli military uniform to Congress and has been heavily supported by the Israel lobby, recently instructed committee staff to refer to the occupied West Bank by “Judea and Samaria,” according to Axios.

Occupied by Israel since 1967, the West Bank is internationally recognized as Palestinian territory. Central to Palestinian aspirations for statehood, this region faces ongoing challenges due to Israeli occupation.

Restrictions on movement, economic hardships, and the expansion of Israeli settlements—considered illegal under international law—have profoundly impacted daily life, as well as consistent murderous raids against civilians.

The Israeli regime has never annexed the West Bank or officially applied Israeli law to this territory.

However, last month during his press conference with Israeli PM Netanyahu, a convicted war criminal, Trump was asked by an Israeli reporter whether he "supports Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria areas."

Trump said the White House is discussing the issue but hasn't taken a position yet. "But we will be making an announcement probably on that very specific topic over the next four weeks," he said.