TEHRAN, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that the main objective of the U.S. "aggression" against Iran is to dominate the country's resources.
He made the remarks at a weekly press conference in the Iranian capital Tehran while elaborating on the goals pursued by the United States in the joint strikes it has waged along with Israel against Iran since late last month.
"There is no doubt about the U.S. objective. Nobody has any doubt about the U.S. goal of seeking to dominate other countries' resources," said Baghaei.
Baghaei said that at present, Iran's entire efforts and attention are focused on defending the country against the "brutal aggression."
He underlined that U.S. presence in West Asia fails to contribute to the region's security and stability, adding that it has only caused insecurity and rifts among regional states and fueled division among Muslim countries.
Baghaei also said that a "significant" number of foreign diplomatic missions are still operating in Iran despite the ongoing conflict.
"We have several diplomatic and consular missions and international representative offices, of which more than half are still operating," he said, adding the Iranian government maintains that the security and safety of foreign diplomats in the country is fully ensured.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing the country's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, some of the leader's family members, high-ranking military commanders and civilians. Iran responded through several waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East. ■
