TEHRAN- Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian has noted that no attack has occurred in Isfahan to elicit Iran’s reaction.

In an interview with NBC News on Friday night in New York, he said that “what happened last night (Thursday night) was not a strike, and they were more like toys that our children play with – not drones.”

Amir Abdollahian also stressed that Tehran was not planning to respond unless Israel launches a significant attack.

“As long as there is no new adventurism by Israel against our interests, then we are not going to have any new reactions,” he said.

But the foreign minister warned that if Israel did attack Iran, the response would be swift and severe.

“If Israel takes a decisive action against my country and this is proven to us,” he said, “our response will be immediate and to the maximum and will cause them to regret it.”

The recent cycle of violence between Israel and Iran began on April 1 when Israel bombed an Iranian consular building in the Syrian capital of Damascus, targeting two generals and five officers in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iran responded 12 days later, launching an unprecedented, direct military attack on Israel involving more than 300 missiles and drones.

Amir Abdollahian said the attack was intended to be “a warning.” “We could have hit Haifa and Tel Aviv,” he said. “We could have also targeted all the economic ports of Israel.”

“But our red lines were civilians,” he added. “We only had a military purpose.”

In his interview, Amir Abdollahian said Iran had no prior knowledge of Hamas’ attack. 

He also said Hamas was not a terrorist organization but a liberation movement opposed to Israeli occupation of Palestinian land.

He called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhayu unhinged, saying that the Israeli regime is to blame for the stalled hostage negotiations. 

The foreign minister also stressed that the Israeli regime has made excessive demands to compensate for its failure to meet its objectives in the war in Gaza.

“It has not been able to destroy Hamas or to arrest the leaders inside Gaza, has not been able to disarm Hamas, has not been able to destroy the weapons and equipment,” Amir Abdollahian said.

“Therefore, it had to resort to killing women and children,” he added, “and now at the negotiating table, they are trying to get what they could not get on the ground.”

Still, the foreign minister said he hopes that a deal will be reached soon for the release of the hostages as part of a broad settlement. Hamas is “ready to go ahead with the release of the prisoners within the format of a humanitarian political package encompassing everything.”

“I think now is a good time,” he said. “There is a good chance for this.”

When asked if the results of the U.S. presidential election in 2024 will affect Iranian policy, Amir Abdollahian stated that there is no distinction between Republican and Democratic views.

He said that Iran would make its own judgments based on U.S. actions; if the U.S. acts in a way that upholds Iranian sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-interference, then the decisions made by the American people will be honored.

Regarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), he stated that, in contrast to the Trump administration, there was no discernible advancement made in renewing the agreement under the Biden administration.

Regarding the events in Gaza, the Iranian foreign minister pointed out that although Hamas has put forth reasonable suggestions, the Israeli regime’s goals have obstructed efforts by Qatari and Egyptian mediators to reach a consensus and implement a ceasefire in the besieged strip.

“No Damages as MAVs intercepted in Iran” 

At a meeting of the ambassadors of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states in New York on Friday, Iran’s foreign minister mocked the Israeli regime’s frantic attempt to distort its latest setback by stating that there have been no injuries or damages as a result of the Iranian air defense shooting down micro aerial vehicles above the provincial capital city of Isfahan.

He gave an overview of Iran’s positions on the Zionist regime’s crimes and the Palestinian dilemma, as well as Iran’s rightful resistance against Israeli aggression.

Amir Abdollahian also emphasized that Iran acted in accordance with international law and the legitimate defense concept when it launched its recent retaliation operation against Israeli military sites.

He pointed out that although Iran was able to cover a larger area with this operation, it exclusively targeted the Zionist regime’s military installations, which were the starting point for the attack on Iran’s embassy in Damascus on April 1.

Amir Abdollahian said that Iran might accomplish its objectives with the least amount of reaction.

He said, “Iran was able to demonstrate its unwavering resolve, strike the targets of the attack on the Iranian embassy, and deliver a message to the Zionist regime.”

He forewarned that Tehran would respond immediately, forcefully, and decisively if the Israeli regime made another mistake and moved against Iran’s interests. The U.S. and other parties have received such a warning.

Amir Abdollahian cited the fact that Iran’s air defense systems in Isfahan had shot down various micro aerial vehicles.

He asserted that despite the fact that there were no injuries or material damages from the fallen items, the supporters of the Zionist regime were frantically attempting to turn their setback into a win.

He declared that the Israeli regime’s war crimes, genocide, and warmongering against Gaza and the West Bank are the fundamental causes of the current situation and must be considered.

He pointed out that once the Israeli assault against Gaza ends, peace would return to the whole region, benefiting all nations, including Iran.

The foreign minister emphasized that Iran places a high value on regional security, adding that the U.S. and other partners of the Zionist regime are enabling it to massacre helpless Palestinian women and children in Gaza.

The ambassadors of the OIC members discussed Palestine and Iran’s rightful reaction to the aggressive actions of the Zionist regime following the speech made by the Iranian minister.