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Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei denied that Iran launched attacks toward Türkiye, the Greek Cyprus Administration, or Azerbaijan, and accused the United States of sabotaging diplomatic negotiations before launching its strikes, and said any ceasefire discussion is "irrelevant" as long as military confrontations continue.
Responding to reports of Iranian munitions being launched toward Türkiye, Greek Cyprus, and Azerbaijan in the past week, Baqaei stated that "no offensives were initiated from Iranian territory" toward those countries.
He suggested some of the reported attacks may have been "staged," saying: "We have warned repeatedly that the enemy may stage certain attacks to drive a wedge between us and other countries."
Baqaei also noted that Greek Cyprus had clarified that a projectile that struck a foreign military base on its territory did not originate from Iran.
While insisting Iran is "adamant to maintain good and friendly relations" with countries in the region, Baqaei warned that Iran reserves the right to strike any location from which attacks against Iranian territory are launched. "Our act of defence cannot be interpreted as an act of hostility towards any of these countries," he said.
He also called on neighboring countries to "not rush into taking positions and making decisions."
Baqaei accused the U.S. of pursuing the destruction and division of Iran. "Their design is clear, their enterprise is quite obvious, they aim at partitioning our country to take illegal possession of our oil riches," he stated.
"Their objective is to violate our sovereignty, defeat our people and undermine our humanity," he added.
He also accused European countries of helping create the conditions for war.
On the onset of hostilities, Baqaei accused the U.S. of having "torpedoed" diplomatic talks that were underway prior to its latest attacks. "They waged a war while we were fully engaged in diplomatic discourse," he said.
"Therefore, we are … with one voice defending our country," he added.
Baqaei stated that U.S.-Israeli attacks had put all international law at risk. "They have violated all international norms and practices," he said.
Asked about possible ceasefire or mediation efforts, Baqaei said the topic was not relevant under current conditions. "As we speak, military confrontations are still underway. At this particular point, speaking of any matter other than defending our homeland is irrelevant," he said.
"We did not initiate or start this war," Baqaei added. "It is not a war of choice. It is a war of necessity that was imposed on us."
Baqaei also said Iran was doing its best to protect diplomatic missions remaining in the country, adding that more than 100 such missions still remain. "However, the belligerent parties have crossed all red lines," he said.
On the future of Iran, Baqaei pushed back against comments from U.S. President Donald Trump about exerting influence over the country, saying "the will of our people" will define Iran's future.
"Iranian people are fully prepared to defend their home soil," he concluded.
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