During a weekly press conference on Monday, Baqaei was asked about reported confessions by a former British MI5 agent regarding the 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the explosion at the Israeli regime’s embassy in London, to which he said all the issues raised “are truly worthy of attention and careful examination.”
“That the Israeli regime has a long record in designing and implementing so-called false flag operations is not a new matter, and many of these cases are today known as proven examples,” Baqaei said.
Iran not involved in Ukraine war whatsoever
In response to another question about a recent statement by the European Council alleging that Iran, Belarus, and North Korea have provided military assistance to Russia in the Ukraine war, despite repeated denials by the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Foreign Ministry spokesman described the claim as repetitive.
“This allegation is repetitive. In similar previous statements, the names of several countries, including China and Iran, were mentioned as parties that help Russia in this conflict,” Baqaei said.
He reiterated that Iran has, since the beginning of the conflict, emphasized that disputes between the two countries should be resolved through dialogue and “and we have had and have no involvement whatsoever in this conflict.”
‘Iran–Russia relations are very extensive’
Baqaei also addressed a question about the simultaneous visit of the Russian deputy prime minister to Iran and the visit of Iran’s foreign minister to Russia.
He said the timing was merely coincidental and entirely natural, noting the breadth of relations between Tehran and Moscow.
“Iran–Russia relations are very extensive, and the exchange of diplomatic delegations from both sides is completely customary,” he said, adding that diplomatic traffic between the two countries should be seen as normal.
He said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Moscow took place as part of ongoing consultations between Iran and Russia and in response to an invitation from his Russian counterpart.
US failures to honor commitments
Responding to a question about the fate of six billion dollars of Iranian funds held in Qatar, Baqaei said the issue is “one of hundreds of examples of the United States’ failure to honor its commitments.”
“Based on the understanding that had been reached, it was supposed that assets belonging to the Iranian people would be made available to the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said, adding that “unfortunately, the American side did not act on its commitments, and this breach of promise continues to this day.”
Iran to Israel: ‘Criminals judge others by their own standards’
In response to allegations by the Israeli regime accusing the Islamic Republic of Iran of involvement in the killing of MIT nuclear science professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, Baqaei firmly rejected the claims, saying they reflected a familiar pattern of projection.
He said that, with a slight modification, the proverb “criminals judge others by their own standards” aptly applied to the Israeli regime.
Citing what he described as a long record of killings, massacres and assassinations of citizens of other countries, Baqaei said that whenever an incident occurs, the Israeli regime naturally looks for a culprit based on its own methods.
He stressed that such allegations had not even been confirmed by the United States, the regime’s main ally, further undermining their credibility.
Iran’s defensive power not up for talks
Addressing a question by IRNA about renewed media campaigns in Israeli and pro-Israeli US outlets suggesting that the Israeli prime minister would seek to persuade the US president to repeat aggression against Iran under the pretext of Iran’s missile program, Baqaei rejected the premise outright.
He said Iran’s missile program is purely defensive in nature and was developed solely to protect the country’s sovereignty.
“The defensive capabilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran are designed to deter aggressors from even contemplating an attack on Iran and are in no way subject to dialogue or bargaining,” he said.
‘No protocol for inspection of damaged nuclear facilities’
On cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, Baqaei said there is no established protocol for inspections of damaged nuclear facilities, as such a situation has no precedent.
He said Iran at one point entered into talks with the agency to address the issue, resulting in a mutually signed understanding.
However, he added that Western parties once again obstructed the process by exploiting the 2015 nuclear agreement’s dispute resolution mechanism in New York.
The repetition of the issue, he said, strengthened suspicions that the IAEA director general was seeking political leverage from a matter that “is not truly an issue.”
US, Israel must be held accountable for Daesh’s resurgence
Commenting on renewed activity by the Daesh terrorist group in some regions, Baqaei said the question should be directed at those who have themselves acknowledged that the emergence of Daesh was the result of the US government’s actions.
He pointed out that the current US president had explicitly referred to this during his election campaign.
Under such circumstances, he said, the Israeli regime, the United States, and other irresponsible actors who have effectively supported terrorism must be held accountable for the consequences.
US complicit in Israeli crimes
Baqaei dismissed as “an outright lie” a claim by a US media outlet that, following Israeli attacks on Iran, a proposal had been made by Donald Trump to fully lift sanctions on Iran.
He also criticized US policy toward Israel, saying there was no doubt that Israel had for decades become a burden on the US economy and foreign policy, imposing heavy financial and reputational costs on Washington due to its crimes.
As a result, he said, the US is seen by regional peoples as complicit in those actions.
Baqaei further rejected recent US comments on Iran’s internal affairs and nuclear program as hypocritical psychological warfare.
He denounced Canada’s anti-Iran resolution at the UN as a repetitive and political move lacking broad support.
The spokesperson also reaffirmed Iran’s principled condemnation of terrorism regardless of location, and described US harassment of commercial vessels as a blatant violation of international law and a serious threat to global peace and stability.
