Iran warns any US attack will be met with retaliation, dismisses claims of no-response deal
- Foreign Ministry spokesperson says era of US ‘hit-and-run’ attacks is over, denies ongoing nuclear negotiations with Washington
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- Foreign Ministry spokesperson says era of US ‘hit-and-run’ attacks is over, denies ongoing nuclear negotiations with Washington
By Sahin Demir
ISTANBUL (AA) - Iran warned Tuesday that any US military attack would be met with retaliation, dismissing claims that Washington had conveyed a message expecting Tehran not to respond to a potential strike.
Speaking at his weekly press conference, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei described suggestions that the US could attack Iran without facing retaliation as an “illusion.”
Baqaei rejected claims that Washington had sent a message based on the premise that Iran should refrain from responding to a potential US attack.
He said Tehran had demonstrated that it would not leave any military strike unanswered.
“If our response is not stronger, it will certainly be equal in force,” he said.
The spokesperson stressed that the era of the US carrying out attacks and withdrawing without consequences was over.
His remarks came in response to claims concerning a possible US attack on Pickaxe Mountain (Kuh-e Kolang) in Iran.
- No nuclear negotiations
Baqaei said Tehran had not entered nuclear negotiations with Washington and therefore had no details of such talks to discuss with Russia or other countries.
“We have not entered nuclear negotiations with the American side to discuss their details with other parties,” he said.
He rejected speculations that Iran had softened its positions on the nuclear issue, stressing that Tehran remained committed to its principles and national interests.
The spokesperson said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to Tehran was part of regular consultations between the two countries.
He noted that the visit had been planned for months and was aimed at discussing bilateral relations and regional and international developments.
According to Baqaei, discussions covered the Caucasus, Europe, the Ukraine conflict, the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, as well as Iran’s nuclear program.
He said Russia had played an important role in previous negotiations leading to the 2015 nuclear agreement and continued to express willingness to help reduce tensions.
- Diplomacy
Baqaei said Tehran would continue pursuing diplomatic opportunities despite its longstanding distrust of Washington.
He accused the US of repeatedly violating its commitments, including since its withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement in 2018.
However, he stressed that Iran’s diplomatic institutions could not abandon negotiations solely because of previous experiences.
“If there is even the slightest possibility that diplomacy can prevent an escalation of tensions, we must pursue that path,” he said.
Baqaei added that Iran’s priority remained protecting its national interests and security, whether through diplomacy or military defense.
- OIC resolution on Yemen
Baqaei also rejected a resolution adopted at an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers’ meeting in Baghdad expressing solidarity with Saudi Arabia against attacks by Yemen’s Houthis.
He said Iran had formally opposed the resolution and did not consider it a valid OIC decision, citing what he called failure to follow the oganization’s procedural rules.
According to Baqaei, Tehran also prevented the inclusion of two paragraphs concerning Yemen in the meeting’s final declaration, arguing that their wording would deepen divisions among Muslim countries.
He said the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen should be resolved through dialogue and reconciliation rather than military force.
“The issue of Yemen cannot be resolved through force and military means,” he said.
Baqaei called on neighboring countries to prevent foreign powers from using their territory and military facilities to threaten or attack other states.
He said preventing such activities was essential to establishing lasting regional security and maintaining good-neighborly relations.
The spokesperson also accused Israel’s policies and territorial expansion of fueling regional instability.
He said the war in Gaza had not ended the suffering of Palestinians and reiterated Tehran’s criticism of US and European support for Israel.
Baqaei said Tehran and Islamabad were working to resolve problems related to the closure of their shared border.
He said Pakistani officials had informed Iran that technical issues and system upgrades were responsible for the disruption.
The spokesperson expressed confidence that the matter would be resolved.
Şahin Demir