“We reserve our inherent right to legitimate defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter.”
Iran has vowed to respond to Israel’s latest attack in a “measured and very calculated” manner, reserving its right to legitimate defense afforded by the UN Charter.
“We reserve our inherent right to legitimate defense under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter and we would certainly respond to the Israeli aggression in a proper time and in a proper manner, in a very measured and very calculated manner,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, said during a joint press briefing with his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar in Islamabad on Tuesday.
FM Araghchi hold very useful, comprehensive and insightful discussions with Pakistani high-level political and military officials (PM Shehbaz Sharif, DPM & FM Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff General Sayed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah) on bilateral relations between the two… pic.twitter.com/rIAy5qaNY3
— Esmaeil Baghaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) November 5, 2024
Araghchi, who arrived in the Pakistani capital on a two-day visit Monday night, emphasized that the “Israeli regime has committed blatant crimes and acts of genocide in Gaza and continues its widespread aggression in Lebanon and other places.”
He said Israel “further displayed its belligerent and aggressive nature by attacking Iran on October 26.”
The Israeli military launched strikes on military bases in Iran, targeting about 20 sites over several hours across Ilam, Khuzestan, and Tehran. Tel Aviv said the strikes were in response to attacks from “Iran and its proxies.”
Aragchi stressed that, unlike Israel, Iran “does not seek escalation,” but added that it had a right to legitimate defense in “a proper time” and manner.
Failure of World Community
“Unfortunately, the international community has failed to stop the Zionist regime for seizing its genocide and act of aggression which endangers both regional and international peace and security efforts being made by Islamic countries to address this crisis.”
Araghchi said Iran and Pakistan are working on a joint strategy to present at the upcoming Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit in Tehran, aiming to address the ongoing Israeli aggression.
‘We Will Prevail’ – Iran Vows ‘Crushing Response’ to Israeli Strikes
The two sides also agreed to collaborate in countering terrorism, which Araghchi described as a “common threat” to both nations. He praised Islamabad’s “consistent” support for Gaza and the Palestinian cause.
Sharing a similar stance, Dar, who also serves as the deputy prime minister, reiterated the two countries’ call for establishing an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
US Urges Iran to Refrain
On Monday, the US administration called for Iran to refrain from responding to the recent Israeli attack while at the same time pledging support for Tel Aviv.
“So in terms of whether or not Iran does anything, I’m not going to speculate, nor will I discuss intelligence assessments from here,” Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder told reporters on Monday.
‘Unchecked Impunity’ – Iran Warns UN that Israel’s Aggression Destabilizes Entire Region
“I think we as the US government have been very clear that we believe Iran should not respond to Israel’s retaliation if they choose to do so. We of course will support Israel and their defense,” he added.
Separately, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller asked Iran not to respond to the attack.
“So our message to the supreme leader is the same as the message that you heard us say last week, which is it should not respond further. It should not escalate the situation further. And if it chooses to do so, we will support Israel in defending itself,” Miller said.
Stark Warning
On Sunday, Iran issued a stark warning to what it called the “evil front” in response to Israel’s recent aggression, declaring that it would deliver a powerful counterattack.
For his part, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, addressed the issue, taking to the X platform in Hebrew to declare that “America and the Zionist entity will receive a crushing response for their actions against Iran and the resistance front.”
(PC, Anadolu)
