TEHRAN- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has noted that Tehran totally respects the territorial integrity of Iraq and Pakistan, but will never hesitate to counter threats to its national security.

In an interview with Fareed Zakaria on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss town of Davos on Wednesday, Iran’s top diplomat said that Tehran has excellent relations with Pakistan and Iraq.

“We talked with both countries about the necessity of countering terrorism and securing common borders. What happened yesterday in Erbil, is a topic pertinent to Mossad agents because they carried out operations in Iran and openly claimed responsibility,” he added. 

Amir Abdollahian also pointed out that Iran will respond with force to any action taken by the Israeli regime, adding, “We targeted the Mossad headquarters in the Kurdistan region with precision guided missiles. This does not mean targeting Iraq. Israel is our common enemy.”

Alluding to the security pact between Iran and Iraq, the foreign minister stressed that “Tehran has inked a security deal with Baghdad. The government and local authorities of Kurdistan pledged to maintain our border security. What we did was in the framework of confronting Israeli misdeeds.”

Highlighting that none of the Pakistani nationals were targeted by Iran in its strikes, he continued that a notorious Iranian terrorist group, Jaish ul-Adl, took refuge in Pakistan and Iran has invariably informed the country’s officials about its nefarious moves.

Iran cautions Biden against ‘tying destiny’ to Netanyahu

U.S. President Joe Biden has received a warning from Iran not to “tie his destiny” to that of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is in charge of the regime’s brutal campaign on the Gaza Strip and has the full backing of Washington.

In an interview with the American business news channel CNBC on Tuesday, Amir Abdollahian said that the U.S. support of the occupying regime is “the root of insecurity” in West Asia.

“The U.S. should not, Mr. [Joe] Biden should not, tie their destiny to the fate of Netanyahu,” he said during the interview on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss town of Davos.

“The full-scale cooperation of Biden and the White House with thugs like Netanyahu in Israel is the root of insecurity in the region.”

Iran wants the U.S. to “end the war in Gaza,” according to Amir Abdollahian, who emphasized that the Islamic Republic places a high value on Red Sea security.

“The people of Yemen and other countries in the region who defend the Palestinian people are acting according to their own experience and through their own interests, and they are not receiving any orders or instructions from us,” he added.

Underscoring the importance of maritime security for Iran as an oil exporter, the top diplomat said, “If there is insecurity near our vicinity, it will not be in our favor.”

“We believe that any action to destabilize the region is rooted in Israel and its genocide in Gaza,” he added. 

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) launched a barrage of missile attacks early on Tuesday against an Israeli spy facility in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and a gathering of terrorist groups hostile to Iran, particularly Daesh, in northwest Syria.

Amir Abdollahian said the attacks were “in line with combating terrorism and legitimate self-defense.”

“We have no reservations when it comes to securing our national interests with any other country,” he continued. 

Following a historic operation by the Palestinian Hamas resistance group against the usurping regime in retribution for its increasing atrocities against the Palestinian people, Israel launched its genocidal war against Gaza on October 7.

After over 100 days of war, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 24,285 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children, and injured 61,154 more, yet it has not succeeded in achieving its goals in Gaza.

The United States has contributed to the Gaza massacre by providing Israel with weaponry and intelligence support, as well as blocking UN resolutions asking for a humanitarian truce in Palestinian territory.

Iran FM exchanges views with world officials

Amir Abdollahian also held several talks with certain officials on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss city of Davos on Tuesday. 

During a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, he said that only Palestinians have the right to determine their own destiny.

Amir Abdollahian also denounced U.S. plans for the Gaza Strip after the conflict, adding, “No one has the right to impose anything on the Palestinian people.”

He also stated that Lebanon is an essential player in regional affairs.

Lebanon’s stability and security have an impact on the entire region, according to Amir Abdollahian, who vowed Iran’s unshakable support for the Arab country’s peace and security.

The top Iranian diplomat also hailed the Lebanese government, people, and resistance movement for assisting the Palestinians in Gaza.

“Regretfully, under the U.S. support for the Zionist regime, the war against Gaza lingers on and we witness the continuation of the killing of Palestinian citizens, women and children, and the genocide of Palestinians by the Zionist regime.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, Amir Abdollahian emphasized that Tehran places great importance to the advancement of bilateral, regional, and global collaboration with Lebanon.

Mikati, for his part, described the situation in Palestine and the region as worrying and emphasized the need to cease the Israeli regime’s onslaught on Gaza.

In a meeting with his Norwegian counterpart, Espen Barth Eide, Amir Abdollahian emphasized that Iran opposes violence and instability in the region, adding that during the last 100 days, Tehran has toiled to put a stop to the Israeli attacks on Gaza, and work toward bringing about peace in the region.

He commended Norway for their positive attention to the situation in Gaza and the region.

“If the root of the crisis in Gaza is well understood, the solution to the crisis is very simple,” he added.

Appreciating Iran’s efforts to help create peace in the region, the Norwegian minister, for his part, said, “The problems in the region are interrelated, and we also think that the conflict in Gaza should end immediately, and a ceasefire should be established.”

Barth Eide considered the Palestinian crisis as the center of the crises in the region and pointed to Norway’s constant political efforts to help solve the Palestinian crisis.

In another meeting with the caretaker prime minister of Pakistan, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, Iran’s foreign minister emphasized the necessity of implementing a counterterrorism pact between Pakistan and Tehran.

In addition, he underlined how important it is to continue carrying out the prior agreements the two countries made on fighting terrorism.

Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, for his part, stated that Pakistan is keen to advance collaboration with Iran.

The acting prime minister of Pakistan pointed out that Iran and Pakistan have similar problems in the region.

In a meeting with his Spanish counterpart, Jose Manuel Albares, Amir Abdollahian exchanged views on regional issues such as the Israeli incursion into the Gaza Strip. They also talked about various ways to level up their bilateral ties. 

In a meeting with his Swiss counterpart on Wednesday, Amir Abdollahian reaffirmed Tehran’s commitment to “the course of negotiations” on saving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). 

He went on to add that the initiative for the JCPOA revival put forward by the sultan of Oman “is still on the table”, highlighting the significance of Switzerland’s support for the pertinent negotiations.

Amir Abdollahian demanded further coordination in order to convene the next Iran-Switzerland Joint Cooperation Commission meeting in Tehran, praising the positive cooperation between Tehran and Bern within the parameters of a road map for interaction.

Additionally, he stated that Iran is open to increased collaboration between the two countries’ private enterprises.

Ignazio Cassis, the foreign minister of Switzerland, congratulated Iran on becoming a member of BRICS.

He highlighted that Switzerland is ready to maintain talks as well as diplomatic and expert contacts with Iran in a variety of disciplines, emphasizing the value of ongoing communication on bilateral and regional concerns.