Nournews: In an interview with Xinhua News Agency, Esmail Baghaie said: “This aggressive act cannot be justified by any argument or principle of international law; it is a violation of peace, and the Iranian nation is determined to defend itself for as long as necessary.”

Referring to Iran’s rich civilizational history, he added: “A country with such a ‘rich’ civilization will never surrender, even if engaged in an unjust war.”

Baghaie continued: “The Iranian people have learned throughout history to survive injustice and remain strong.”

The spokesperson also said: “No rational person considers the statements and positions of American officials reliable, because their stances are inconsistent and often contradictory on various international issues.”

He emphasized: “We did not start this war. It was the United States’ choice. Perhaps, due to Israel’s miscalculation, they assumed they could easily force Iran to surrender.”

Regarding Iran’s nuclear program, Baghaie said that the U.S. and Israel are fully aware that Tehran’s nuclear activities are entirely peaceful, and the claim that the program could become militarized is a “big lie” that has been repeated for three decades.

Baghaie stressed Tehran’s desire to strengthen relations with neighboring countries and Persian Gulf states, noting that regional security and stability largely depend on cooperation among regional nations.

He added that Iran has no hostility toward regional countries, and the reason for targeting U.S. bases in the area is that these bases are scattered around Iran and are used by the United States to carry out military aggression against the country.

Baghaie further stated that regional countries have realized that U.S. military presence in the region has not brought peace or stability but instead created more problems.

He noted that the United States has a long history of disrupting free international trade and described Washington as “an increasingly lawless and rogue actor, posing a serious threat to international peace and security.”

According to IRNA, the joint U.S.–Israeli military aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which led to the martyrdom of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, began at dawn on 28 February 2026. This occurred while indirect negotiations between Iran and the U.S. were ongoing with the mediation of several regional countries.

Following this aggression, the Islamic Republic of Iran delivered a decisive, targeted, and proportionate response.

As part of this legitimate response, military and security positions of the Israeli regime in various cities across the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as U.S. military bases and installations in the region, were precisely targeted with missile, drone, and air strikes.

Iranian officials emphasized that these operations were carried out within the framework of Iran’s inherent right to self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter, aiming at deterrence, preventing further aggression, and imposing costs on the aggressors. The Islamic Republic of Iran warned that any continuation or escalation of aggression will be met with a stronger and broader response.