TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian warned that Israel has kept countries that normalized relations with Tel Aviv in the dark about its destabilizing activities, saying that Iran’s intelligence agencies have informed these countries of Israel’s malicious moves. 

Amir Abdollahian said Iran has some documents in possession that show Israel ignored the governments of the countries that normalized relations with it when conduction destabilizing activities. 

“We have witnessed in some of the few countries that normalized ties with the Zionist entity that the latter ignores the governments of these countries, and our security and intelligence institutions have confirmed and accurate documents that the Zionist entity ignores the governments of these countries and, without their knowledge, carries out actions that undermine the security of the region,” the Iranian foreign minister said in an interview with the official newspaper Al-Wefagh. 

He added, “Our security departments have informed some of the authorities of these countries of these documents, and therefore it is unlikely to believe that normalizing relations with the Zionist entity is a good thing for the Islamic world and the countries of the region.”

Amir Abdollahian continued, “But we said, and we say it frankly, whether in diplomatic meetings or through the media, that even if we assume that all Arab and Islamic countries seek normalization with this fraudulent, usurping, occupying entity, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not back down from its policy of defending the resistance with all its strength and ability; Because resistance means ensuring the security of the region in which we live.”

The Iranian foreign minister also touched on Oman’s mediation with respect to the talks over reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). 

“The Sultan of Oman raised some ideas about how all parties can return to their commitments in the nuclear agreement. We paid attention to the Sultan's ideas in the diplomatic sessions, and [we told him that] if we were able to reach a point where we can reach a result, we will inform you,” Amir Abdollahian noted. 

The top Iranian diplomat also underlined Iran’s position in support of the resistance axis. 

“In fact, interest in the axis of resistance is the principled policy of the Islamic Republic regime, which is based on defending the oppressed and preserving the stability and security of the region, and this is what Iran always emphasizes,” he said, adding, “In the last conversation between me and Mr. Josep Borrell, he claimed that they say that Russia is using Iranian drones in Ukraine. I told him, please, do not repeat this baseless statement. Our position on the Ukraine issue is completely clear, and in our foreign policy we do not compliment any party. We have declared that we have not given any drones to Russia to be used in the war against Ukraine, but with regard to the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance, we, despite all the consequences that befall us, have declared and declare openly that we are on the side of the resistance.”

He added, “Yes, we follow neighborhood policies, and the priority of looking at Asia is in the priority of our foreign policy, and our dealings with the East and West in the world are based on national interests, and the policy of neither East nor West is based on our political independence, but resistance is one of the important dimensions of our foreign policy. Today, when we talk about resistance, we are talking about resistance against the ambitions, aggression, and criminality of the Zionist entity, and resistance against the plans of terrorist groups in the region. Defending the resistance means defending security, stability, and defending peace.”

He also pointed to his recent visit to Lebanon where he met with the leaders of the resistance. “During this visit, we were able to hold a tripartite meeting with the leaders of the resistance, as well as with His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. It was very interesting for me to hear from the leaders of the Palestinian resistance and from the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, and to see firsthand that they are in the best conditions in terms of morale, strength, and ability to respond. Therefore, all this noise caused by the authorities of the false Zionist entity stems from the fear, anxiety and weakness of the Zionists. I want to make this observation to the peoples of the region. You saw in the Libyan scene how the Libyan people reacted to one of the meetings, and this is the reality of the resistance against the Zionists in the region.”

The Iranian foreign minister also pointed to the situation in Syria. “In fact, today we are facing two phenomena in Syria. The first phenomenon is that the Arab world, with a new vision, seeks to open the doors for Syria’s return to the Arab League, reopen embassies, and establish agreements at different levels with Syria,” Amir Abdollahian said, adding, “The other matter related to Syria is the issue of the security of the joint Syrian-Turkish border, and the Syrian authorities have assured us that they are fully prepared to maintain the security of the Syrian-Turkish border from within Syrian territory. In the last session of the quadrilateral talks between the foreign ministers of Iran, Syria, Russia, and Turkey in Moscow, we put forward an idea in the name of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is for Syria and Turkey to agree on the withdrawal of Turkish military forces from Syria.”

He continued, “But in the end, this equation has two sides. The second side is that Turkey is concerned with the security of its borders with Syria and that it is not threatened by groups that threaten the security of the region. This is a correct matter that Turkey proposed, so we proposed the following in the proposal presented by the Islamic Republic, which is that Syria and Turkey should agree. In this four-party session, Turkey pledges first to withdraw its military forces from Syria, and second, Syria pledges to place its forces on the border to prevent any exposure to Turkish territory. Both Iran and Russia have the title of guarantor to both parties.”