Iran engaged in national defense rather than proactive warfare

During an interview with BBC Radio 4’s World at One program, in response to the host’s question regarding how long Iran intends to continue the war, Bahreini stated, “This question should be directed at the United States, which started this war. We are not waging war; we are defending our country, and defense has no end point. Until this war stops completely and we have a guarantee that it will not be repeated in the future, we will certainly continue to defend our country.”

He noted, “Iran’s Military Forces and its people were able to respond to aggression until the very last moment before the ceasefire began; there was no weakness or reduction in the volume of the defense we conducted against our enemy.”

When asked why the Islamic Republic of Iran is seizing vessels from countries not involved in the confrontation between Iran, the U.S., and the Zionist regime, the ambassador clarified, “Our enemies have used the Strait of Hormuz to equip military bases and pursue illegal objectives in the region. Therefore, the situation of the Strait of Hormuz has changed for Iran, and it must exercise greater monitoring and surveillance over the ships passing through this strait.”

Addressing claims of serious contradictions or differing strategies within the high levels of the Iranian government, Bahreini said, “There are no contradictions in Iran. The problem lies with the United States, which is full of contradictions and disagreements. At one point, they come to negotiate; later, they start a war. They then threaten Iran with the total annihilation of its civilization.”

Bahreini concluded, “The contradiction is essentially in the positions and behavior of the United States. If Iran’s positive positions are met with arbitrary and malicious behavior from the U.S., Iran adopts a proportionate approach. This is a sign of neither contradiction nor internal discord.”