Conducted on the strength of Article 51 of the UN Charter pertaining to legitimate defense, Iran’s military action was in response to the Zionist regime’s aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus. The matter can be deemed concluded. However, should the Israeli…
— I.R.IRAN Mission to UN, NY (@Iran_UN) April 13, 2024
Any nation that helps Israel mount an attack against Iran will face serious consequences, the Islamic Republic’s defense minister, Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, warned early Sunday. His statement came as Tehran launched a massive airstrike against the Jewish state, in what it called retaliation for an Israeli attack on an Iranian consulate in Syria.
“Any country that opens its airspace or soil to Israel to attack Iran will receive our decisive response,” Ashtiani said.
Iran’s mission to the UN also demanded that the US “stay away” from the conflict between Tehran and West Jerusalem. This is a bilateral issue, the mission said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday night. The Islamic Republic has the right to respond under Article 51 of the UN Charter, which grants every nation the right to self-defense, the statement said, pointing to Israeli “aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus.”