Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said today (Thursday) that Iran has sent several messages to the United States reiterating that Iran does not want to escalate tensions with Israel in the Middle East.
“It is the behavior of the Zionist regime that can increase tensions in the region,” Abdullahiyan said upon his arrival in New York yesterday (Wednesday) to attend the United Nations (UN) Security Council meeting.
Israel said yesterday that it reserves the right to defend itself against Iran, following an Iranian attack with drones and missiles on Saturday night, AFP reported, quoting Sharq al-Awsat.
Abdullahiyan emphasized that messages were sent to the US before and after the operation, especially through the Swiss Embassy in Tehran (Switzerland represents US interests in Iran, as there are no diplomatic relations between the US and Iran).
“Following the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1, we made it clear to the US that the decision to respond to the Israeli regime was final. In these messages, we tried to make it clear to the US that we do not want to increase tensions in the region,” Abdullahiyan said.
Abdullahiyan is expected to meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other foreign ministers in New York on the sidelines of the UN Security Council meeting to discuss the PA’s request for full UN membership.
