Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei speaks during an interview with Xinhua in Tehran, Iran, March 10, 2026. (Xinhua/Shadati)
TEHRAN, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has voiced the Iranian nation's determination to defend itself against the U.S. and Israeli aggression as long as it takes.
"This act of aggression cannot be justified by any argument or rule of international law. It is a breach of peace, and the Iranian nation is resolute to defend itself as long as it takes," Baghaei told Xinhua in a recent interview.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the Middle East.
Baghaei said a "rich" civilization like Iran would never surrender, although Iranians are attacked under an unjust war.
The Iranian people have learned throughout history that they will survive and stay strong in the face of injustice, he stressed.
"No person of common sense regards American authorities' statements and remarks to be trustworthy as they are not stable, change their words and make contradictory remarks about each and every topic of international relations," said the spokesman.
"We did not start this war. It was the U.S. war of choice. They were dragged into this war perhaps by Israel out of their miscalculation that they can easily make Iran surrender," Baghaei said.
Referring to Iran's nuclear program, Baghaei said the U.S. and Israeli sides know very well that the country's atomic activities are absolutely peaceful, adding that the two sides "have concocted this big lie for the past three decades that Iran's nuclear program may get weaponized."
"Our intention is to strengthen our relations with each and every state in the Persian Gulf region and our neighboring countries," he said, adding that the security and stability of the region are very much dependent on cooperation among the regional countries.
Iran does not hold any hostility towards any state in the region, Baghaei said. "The reason why at present we are targeting the American bases in the region is that they are scattered around Iran and are being used by the United States to conduct military aggression against Iran."
The regional countries are fully recognizing the fact that the U.S. military presence in the region has not brought peace and stability, he said.
The United States has a long history of disrupting free international trade, including by imposing unilateral sanctions on countries, Baghaei said, describing the United States as an actor that is increasingly "lawless and rogue, which poses a serious danger to international peace and security." ■
