Govt. Spox.: Iran to exercise legitimate right to self defense

EghtesadOnline: Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Mohajerani stressed that the Zionist regime, in an attempt to deflect from its failures in Gaza and Lebanon, launched an aerial act of aggression against Iran’s territory in violation of international law, resulting in the martyrdom of five Iranian citizens.

“The Zionist regime is gravely mistaken in thinking it can disrupt the unity of the Iranian people with such actions. It fails to realize that such actions only strengthen our national solidarity,” she emphasized.

The Israeli regime attacked several Iranian military facilities early Saturday, killing four servicemen of the Armed Forces and one civilian. Two days later, Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasirzadeh said that Israel’s aggression had caused “minor” damage which was immediately repaired and replaced.

“Iran pursues an active diplomacy, which has significantly minimized the enemy’s intent to inflict harm. We have seen support from many countries in condemning this blatant aggression. All European and regional countries have denounced the Zionist regime’s brazen and disrespectful aggression,” Mohajerani added.

The Iranian government spokeswoman also blamed the Zionist regime’s "excessive demands" for the current state of tension in the region. 

“Having failed to achieve victory on the battlefield against the brave men of Gaza and Lebanon, this regime has begun escalating tensions in the region,” Mohajerani said.

“Iran’s policy is [to promote] de-escalation and reduce threats. The Iranian people have never been warmongering but rather peace-seeking. Iran never creates tension; instead, it works to reduce it. Iran is a country strongly committed to pursuing peace,” she stressed.

The government spokeswoman further said that in the budget for the next year, all efforts have been focused on addressing the country’s defense needs, with special attention given to this matter.

“As a result, we have seen a significant increase of over 200 percent in the country’s defense budget,” Mohajerani added.

Iran has emphasized that it is not looking for war, but will not abandon its right to give an “appropriate and firm” response to Israel’s latest act of aggression. / Mehr