The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, explains to NBC the reasons for the attacks on Gulf states and rejects the involvement of other countries in the selection of the supreme leader.
The Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araghchi, defended on Sunday Tehran’s decision to strike targets in neighboring Gulf states, presenting these actions as a response to operations by the US and Israel against Iran.
“The Americans are the ones who started this war against us, attacking us, and we are defending ourselves. So it is obvious that our missiles cannot reach American soil”, Araghchi declared for the American station NBC.
The head of Iranian diplomacy explained that, although the missiles cannot directly hit the United States, Tehran can target American bases and facilities in the region:
“What we can do is attack American bases and American facilities around us, which are unfortunately on the soil, as you know, of neighboring countries“.
Tensions in the Gulf
On Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologized to neighboring countries affected by the attacks, but the incidents continued. On Sunday morning, a massive fire engulfed a building in Kuwait, and missile and drone attacks were reported in several states in the region.
In the same interview, Abbas Araghchi rejected suggestions from American President Donald Trump to intervene in the selection of the next Iranian supreme leader:
“We do not allow anyone to interfere in our internal affairs. It is up to the Iranian people to choose their new leader.”
He further emphasized that Trump “should apologize to the people of the region and the Iranian people for the destruction and crimes they have committed against us”.