Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has criticized Israeli role in regional diplomacy, calling on Washington to act independently in its foreign policy and not let external actors dictate its decisions.
Tehran – IranView24
The senior Iranian diplomat made the remarks at a press briefing on Tuesday morning, during which he addressed the recent international developments and Iran-related issues.
‘Iran determined to safeguard interests through diplomacy’
Baqaei underlined Tehran’s determination to safeguard Iran’s national interests through diplomacy, while warning against external pressures on Washington’s decision-making.
He said it was up to US officials to act independently and not allow pressure groups and lobbies to dictate US foreign policy.
“As far as we are concerned, we carefully take previous experiences into account. The experience [of last June] was a very bad one; and based on these experiences, we are determined to secure Iran’s national interests through diplomacy,” the spokesman said.
Larijani’s visits in line with neighborliness policy: Baqaei
Commenting on Ali Larijani’s visit to Muscat and Doha, Baqaei said the trips are in line with Iran’s principled policy of strengthening relations and cooperation with neighboring and regional countries.
He noted that the visit followed earlier regional trips by the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, including to Russia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq, and should be seen as part of ongoing consultations with regional counterparts.
“Good neighborliness and strengthening regional cooperation are among the main pillars of our foreign policy,” he said, adding that both the Oman visit and the subsequent trip to Qatar had been planned in advance.
Iran warns of ‘regret-inducing’ response to any aggression
Responding to questions about Israeli threats and their potential impact on diplomacy, Baqaei stressed that any military aggression against Iran would fundamentally alter the situation.
“If the Islamic Republic of Iran is subjected to military aggression from any side, it will certainly deliver a crushing response,” he said, adding that any Israeli action would not be possible without US coordination, and that Iran’s response in such a scenario would be “regret-inducing.”
Baqaei also said talks during the defense minister’s visit to Azerbaijan covered a wide range of security and defense issues of mutual interest, expressing hope that the trip would help strengthen trust between the two countries, particularly in political and security fields.
On Gaza and Lebanon, he said France and the US, as guarantors of ceasefires, bore responsibility due to what he described as their indulgence toward Israel and complicity in ongoing crimes.
Europe made ‘very grave miscalculation’
Baqaei also criticized Europe’s recent approach, saying European countries had committed “a very grave miscalculation” by failing to play an independent and constructive role in diplomatic processes and instead choosing to follow others.
He said Europe’s latest move to label the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) was both “illegal” and a “strategic mistake.”
Rather than persisting with media rhetoric, he went on, European states should think realistically about how to restore Europe’s role and standing in regional and international equations.
Tehran slams German chancellor’s hostile stance
Turning to Germany, the spokesman said the approach adopted by some German officials, particularly the country’s chancellor, in recent months was “neither worthy of the German nation nor befitting the traditional relations between Tehran and Berlin.”
He said the German chancellor had repeatedly positioned himself as an unconditional supporter of the Israeli regime, adding that statements made in connection with Israel’s military aggression against Iran “will never be erased from the memory of the Iranian nation.”
He warned that recent remarks were incorrect and would damage Germany’s credibility among Iranian public opinion and at regional and international levels.
‘There is common ground to continue talks with US’
Baqaei said a brief, minutes-long interaction between Iranian and US delegations had created a sense of understanding for continuing the diplomatic track.
“The outcome of these indirect interactions, including the short conversation you referred to, was that we felt there was understanding and common ground to continue this diplomatic process,” he said.
Addressing questions about the presence of a US general in the talks, Baqaei said Iran does not copy others’ approaches and trusts its diplomats.
However, he noted that Iran’s foreign minister “is himself, in a sense, a battle-hardened military general.”
Epstein case could be part of project to advance Israeli objectives
Commenting on the Jeffrey Epstein case, Baqaei described it as a humanitarian and civilizational catastrophe that should not be trivialized.
He argued that reports suggesting political exploitation of such cases had strengthened suspicions that the issue could be part of a long-term project to advance political objectives, particularly those of the Israeli regime.
