TEHRAN- Iranian ambassador to Turkey, Mohammad Hassan Habibollah Zadeh, has said that Tehran does not seek escalation, yet its reaction to any Israeli aggression will be “swift and comprehensive.”

Habibollah Zadeh, in an interview with Turkish newspaper Aydinlik, stated that the Zionist regime’s terror attack against the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Damascus, Syria on April 1, 2024, is evaluated as a strong violation of international law and the UN Charter especially its article 2 (4) regarding the immunity of diplomatic buildings and embassies.

“To avoid increasing regional tensions, the Islamic Republic of Iran firstly focused on the legal, international and diplomatic path and later demanded from the United Nations Security Council to condemn this criminal terror attack and to take decided and appropriate measures to prosecute those responsible for it and to prevent such acts from happening again,” Iranian diplomat stated.

According to the Iranian ambassador, due to the approach of the three Western permanent members, the Council failed in condemning this act and allowed the Israeli regime to violate basic principles of international law.

The diplomat reiterated that since the murders in the Gaza Strip started seven months ago, no serious step has been taken to stop the crimes of the Israeli regime against the Palestinian people.

“Facing the fact that the UN Security Council did not make any statement to condemn the recent criminal act, the Islamic Republic of Iran had no other choice but to punish the Israeli regime within the right of self-defense in accordance with UN Charter Article 51,” he said, stressing that the Islamic Republic of Iran has acted with great restraint but reached a final position where the Zionist regime had to pay for its acts. The Israeli regime’s current policy follows the objective of maintaining power and escaping justice by widening and intensifying the conflict.

The Iranian diplomat pointed to the UN meeting held on April 2 in the aftermath of the Israeli terrorist attack on the Iranian embassy in Damascus on April 1, saying that the UN Security Council has shown the greatest inaction. The UN must not allow that the ambitions of a bandit regime and the interests of Western powers that support it take that institution hostage. The UN Security Council must fulfill its obligations and fight against the true threat to international peace and security. It must end the Israeli regime’s recklessness in violation of international law by coercing this regime within its duties in the UN Charter chapter 7.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran acted in the necessary and appropriate way,” the diplomat said, adding that Tehran just targeted those military positions that participated in the terror attack against Iranian embassy in Damascus. The Iranian Armed Forces did not target any civilian or economic area. The objective of Iran’s retaliatory operation, codenamed Operation Truthful Promise, was to deliver a message to the opponent. The Islamic Republic of Iran does not intend to raise regional tensions. Therefore, following the operation, Iran has announced that the matter was concluded but that, should the Israeli regime counteract, Iran would respond “swiftly and comprehensively.”

As per the Iranian diplomat, while warning the Israeli regime of any military adventures, the Islamic Republic of Iran emphasized its determination to defend its territorial integrity, defense of its people, prevent any harm to its security and national interests by responding to any threat in accordance with international law.  

He pointed to Israeli policy, reiterating that there is no doubt that the Israeli regime seeks expansion. Since 1948, this regime has ignored international decisions and widened its occupation of Palestinian lands. First, they wanted limited territory, then they took half of the Palestinian lands, then they brought the occupation of the entire Palestinian territory on the agenda. And after that, they occupied parts of the territory of the countries neighboring Palestine. At this very moment, the main objective of Zionism is to establish a Greater Israel. But thanks to the Resistance, those desiring to realize the dream an Israel stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates have been drowned in Gaza.  

In the end, he said that there has long been plans in the making to start a divide and transform the Islamic countries, just as it had happened in the beginning of the 20th century. The application of this plan was causing the appearance of smaller new states that, due to their size and weakness, generally became allies of Israel. Regional, ethnic and religious differences between regional countries are another important factor in this plan. Extra-regional countries have supported and armed terrorism as well as extremism in the region by destructive interventions to cause unrest. This is considered another important element of that plan.