DUSHANBE, June 19. /TASS/. Iran will not allow the current conflict with Israel to unfold in accordance with the demands of the Jewish state's leadership, the United States, and their Western allies, Iranian Ambassador to Tajikistan Alireza Haghighian stated.
"The fake Israeli regime made a huge mistake by launching an aggressive attack on Iran. While this regime initiated the aggression, it certainly won’t be the one to end it. The Islamic Republic of Iran will make the regime deeply regret its actions and will not allow current events to develop according to the plans and demands of this regime, the United States, and its other Western supporters," he said during his speech at the international conference "Central Asia as the heart of SCO [Shanghai Cooperation Organization]: 25 years of cooperation for shared development" in Dushanbe.
According to Haghighian, Israel’s attacks "clearly violate the provisions of the UN Charter, fundamental principles of international law, and international conventions."
"A series of coordinated and premeditated military strikes against nuclear facilities, civilian infrastructure, and residential areas of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Israeli regime, which resulted in a martyr death for many Iranians, including civilians, occurred at a time when Iran was moving toward dialogue and constructive negotiations to resolve differences," the diplomat emphasized.
Haghighian noted that Israel’s attacks constitute "a flagrant violation of the territorial sovereignty and integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran as an independent state and UN member." "For this reason, Iran has exercised its unalienable right to self-defense in responding decisively and proportionately to this cowardly aggression and acting with firm resolve to protect its sovereignty, people, and national security," Haghighian added.
Israel-Iran conflict
In the early morning hours of June 13, Israel launched a military operation aimed against Iran’s nuclear program. Iran responded in less than 24 hours. Israel and Iran have continued exchanging strikes ever since. Both parties reported casualties and damage, and admitted that a number of facilities had been hit. The mutual strikes are ongoing.
Since April, the US and Iran have been involved in indirect talks, mediated by Oman. Iran’s delegation to the negotiations is headed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, while the US delegation is led by US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff. After several attempts were made to reach another agreement, the talks turned out to be hanging by a thread due to disagreements between the US and Iran over uranium enrichment. The sixth round of talks was scheduled to take place in Oman’s capital Muscat on June 15, but was cancelled amid Israel’s attack on Iran.