Speech by H.E. Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, to Ambassadors and Heads of Foreign Missions in Tehran In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful Good morning to all of you. I am delighted to meet you today and sincerely thank you for accepting our invitation to join us at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. My purpose today is to provide an overview of the recent developments and the blatant aggression by the Israeli regime against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which we are currently witnessing. As you have followed in the news, since Friday morning, the Israeli regime launched unprovoked and unprecedented attacks on various targets in Iran, constituting a clear violation of Iran’s sovereignty. Among the primary targets were the Natanz nuclear facility and several sites in Tehran. Numerous civilians, including families, women, children, nuclear scientists, and military commanders—who were not engaged in any conflict and were in their homes—were killed or injured across Tehran and other cities. This aggression occurred while we were in the midst of nuclear negotiations with the United States, with the sixth round of talks scheduled to take place today, Sunday, in Muscat. The Israeli regime recognizes no boundaries in violating international law. You have all witnessed in Gaza not only the killing of innocent Palestinians but also the destruction of human rights, international humanitarian law, and all international standards. Now, the Israeli regime has crossed yet another red line in international law by attacking a nuclear facility—an act that is a grave violation, strictly prohibited under any circumstances, and regrettably met with indifference by the Security Council. Many countries, particularly in the region, have condemned Israel’s aggression against Iran, especially the attack on nuclear facilities. I express my gratitude to all the esteemed ambassadors present here whose countries have condemned this aggression. However, certain European nations, which claim to uphold civilization and international law, instead of condemning Israel, have criticized Iran for being the victim of this aggression. In response to these attacks, we have exercised our right to self-defense, a universally recognized principle in international relations and the legitimate right of any nation to defend itself against aggression. Our armed forces began their response two nights ago, and last night, you witnessed further developments. These actions will continue. Our missile strikes on military and economic targets in the occupied Palestinian territories are solely for self-defense and to counter aggression. Initially, we targeted only Israel’s military sites. However, after Israel attacked economic targets yesterday, including Tehran’s refinery and areas in Asaluyeh, we responded in kind last night by targeting economic infrastructure, including refineries, in Israel. Israel’s attack on Asaluyeh yesterday was a blatant act of aggression and an extremely dangerous move. Dragging the conflict into the Persian Gulf region is a grave strategic miscalculation, likely deliberate, aimed at expanding the war beyond Iran’s borders. The Persian Gulf is a highly sensitive and complex region, and any military escalation there could engulf the entire region and potentially the world. Israel initiated this escalation yesterday, and we hope the international community will act swiftly to halt these crimes and aggressions. The Islamic Republic of Iran will continue its legitimate self-defense with resolve, and our armed forces will carry out their duties with strength. Regarding the attack on the Natanz nuclear facility, I have requested the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to convene an extraordinary session on this matter. This session is scheduled for Monday, and we hope the IAEA Board of Governors will issue a strong condemnation of Israel’s gross violation of international law through this attack on a nuclear facility. I urge the ambassadors of countries that are members of the IAEA Board of Governors to convey this request to their capitals. The international community’s expectation is a robust condemnation of the attack on nuclear facilities and even punitive measures against Israel for this act. This may be the final red line in international law that Israel has crossed. If the international community remains indifferent, the consequences will undoubtedly affect other nations as well. I must also emphasize that, in our view, Israel’s aggression against Iran could not have occurred without U.S. support. We have compelling evidence of assistance from U.S. forces and bases in the region to Israel’s attacks. We have closely monitored and continue to monitor these activities, and we possess substantial evidence of U.S. involvement. More telling than our evidence are the explicit statements by the U.S. President, who has openly declared support for Israel. Thus, we consider the United States complicit in these attacks and hold it accountable. In our response to Israel’s aggression, we have focused our actions on targets within Israel. We do not seek to expand the war unless it is imposed on us. We have no desire to extend this conflict to other countries or the region unless forced to do so. We did not want this war in the first place and were engaged in diplomacy regarding our nuclear program. However, this aggression was imposed on us, and we are defending ourselves. Our defense is entirely legitimate and resolute. Our actions are in response to aggression, and if the aggression ceases, our responses will naturally stop as well. Today, we were set to hold the sixth round of nuclear negotiations in Muscat. As I have repeatedly stated, we are confident in the peaceful nature of our nuclear program and have no issue demonstrating this to the world, as we did in the 2015 nuclear agreement. We are prepared for any agreement aimed at ensuring Iran does not possess nuclear weapons, as this aligns with our doctrine and belief in the prohibition of nuclear weapons. However, if the goal of an agreement is to deprive Iran of its nuclear rights, we are naturally not open to such a deal. With this logic, we entered negotiations with the United States and completed five rounds of talks. In the sixth round, we were prepared to present our proposal for a potential agreement to the U.S. side. The U.S. proposal in the previous round had issues and was unacceptable to us. We had conveyed our views and prepared a counter-proposal, which we intended to present today. We believe our proposal could have paved the way for an agreement. It is abundantly clear that Israel opposes any nuclear agreement, negotiations, or diplomacy. Its aggression against Iran in the midst of nuclear talks demonstrates its rejection of any diplomatic process. You may recall that in the past, Israel repeatedly attempted to sabotage negotiations through assassinations and acts of sabotage. In spring 2021, during talks in Vienna to revive the JCPOA, Israel carried out a sabotage operation at Natanz’s enrichment facility, targeting its power supply. This caused an explosion that damaged numerous centrifuges. Their primary goal was to disrupt the negotiations. At that time, we announced we would increase our enrichment level to 60% in response to Israel’s sabotage. All damaged centrifuges at Natanz were subsequently replaced with more advanced models. The current attack is similarly aimed at undermining diplomacy and negotiations, and we regret that the U.S. government has aligned itself with this action. Over the past two days, we received messages from the United States through various channels claiming it had no involvement in the attack and would not participate. We do not believe this claim, as we have evidence to the contrary. However, if the U.S. is sincere in this claim, it should publicly and explicitly condemn the attack on nuclear facilities and clearly distance itself from the conflict. Private messages are insufficient; the U.S. must demonstrate its good faith through public action. I hope the international community will pay due attention to this matter and respond appropriately to Israel’s crimes and aggressions, which have violated all principles of international law. This is the best path to fostering peace in the region and the world. Thank you for your attention.