’Israel’s’ Aggression Against Iran Risked All-Out Regional War Had It Gone Unanswered: Pezeshkian

By Staff, Agencies

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says the "Israeli" aggression against the Islamic Republic could have spilled into a “widespread and uncontrollable” war across the region had it gone unanswered.

Addressing the Eurasian Economic Forum via video link on Friday, Pezeshkian said the Iranian armed forces exercised “legitimate” defense of the noble nation, national sovereignty and territorial integrity in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter during the 12-day aggression against the country.

In the early hours of June 13, the "Israeli" entity launched a full-scale aggression on Iranian soil by targeting various military and nuclear sites, claiming the lives of many top military commanders and nuclear scientists as well as other civilians.

On June 22, the United States jumped on the bandwagon and bombed three Iranian nuclear sites in a grave violation of the United Nations Charter, international law, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

A day later, Iran launched a barrage of missiles at al-Udeid air base in Qatar—the largest American military base in West Asia—in retaliation for the unprovoked and unlawful aggression.

The embattled entity was forced to unilaterally declare a truce on June 24 after suffering heavy blows resulting from a total of 22 waves of Iranian ballistic missiles.

Pezeshkian said the "Israeli" entity’s “brutal acts of aggression and illegal armed terrorist attacks” on Iran occurred amid indirect talks between Iran and the United States about Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, adding that the country’s peaceful nuclear facilities were also targeted.

“The military attacks by the US and the Zionist entity on Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities, which were under full supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency, are a gross violation of all international rules,” he emphasized.

The Iranian president said the aggression also inflicted “an irreparable blow” to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Pezeshkian noted that a large number of civilians were killed and wounded during the "Israeli" entity’s “series of illegal and criminal operations” and attacks on residential areas, public infrastructures, hospitals and medical centers.

He urged the international community, especially the UN Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency, to adopt a more responsible attitude in dealing with aggressors and warmongers.

The Iranian president stressed the need to abandon the policy of appeasement with the Zionist regime regarding its systematic and repeated violation of human rights.

He said today’s session of the Eurasian Economic Forum is an opportunity to firmly condemn such acts of aggression and threats to the region and the whole world.