Baghaei: U.S. Betrayed Diplomacy; Killing of Minab Students a “Major Crime”
Tehran - BORNA - Baghaei described the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran as “criminal and terrorist acts” and called the Israeli strike on a girls’ school in Minab a “major crime.”
He added that what the U.S. and Israel carried out constitutes a war crime, labeling them war criminals. Baghaei noted that U.S. history shows repeated failures to honor international commitments, and that this is the third time in the past decade that Washington has derailed a diplomatic process, committing severe acts of aggression.
“From the very beginning, it was clear to us that they intended to use Iran’s nuclear issue as a pretext,” he said.
Regarding the timing of the attack in the middle of indirect Iran-U.S. talks, Baghaei said: “From the outset, both in press briefings and in Foreign Minister Araghchi’s statements, we stressed that we entered negotiations with eyes wide open. Learning from past experiences, we engaged in diplomacy fully aware that the other side might use the nuclear issue as an excuse.”
He added: “We entered the diplomatic process to prevent anyone from later claiming that, had we participated, the other side would not have attacked. As I said, we approached the process in good faith. Regional countries had requested these negotiations, and we needed to show the world that Iran is a supporter of peace and stability, while the other side seeks war and bloodshed under any pretext.”
Baghaei also criticized inconsistent statements from U.S. officials during negotiations, referring to remarks by the Omani Foreign Minister in a major U.S. media outlet, who emphasized the need to give diplomacy a chance and said the talks had reached a technical stage where agreement was possible.
Reiterating Iran’s approach, Baghaei said: “It was our duty to demonstrate to the international community that we are logical and committed to diplomacy. We pursued our rights and interests in the negotiations, and now, less than nine months later, we are once again confronted with aggressive actions by Israel and the U.S. We must not whitewash the crimes of the enemy. What our diplomats did was in line with their responsibilities; the betrayal came from the other side, demonstrating the deep malice toward Iran in the U.S. governance system.”
He added: “This war has been imposed on us, and we will defend ourselves with full force.”
Responding to former U.S. President Trump’s justification of the attacks, Baghaei said: “They claim the attack was to defend the American people, yet we have no problem with the people of the United States. They came from thousands of kilometers away to attack us, and their justification is absurd. The Iranian people are peaceful. War has been imposed on us, and we will defend ourselves with all our strength.”
Addressing regional nations, Baghaei emphasized: “We have always valued collective regional security, which must be maintained by the countries of the region. Under international law, we have the right to defend ourselves against any aggression. We do not attack any country, but we see that the Americans have used their bases in neighboring countries to attack Iran. These bases are under U.S. ownership and control, not the host countries. Therefore, Iran’s defensive actions against these bases are not directed at regional countries. Iran extends a hand of friendship to the nations of the region, and we hope they understand that the only force seeking dominance in the region is Israel, backed by the United States.”
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