The press conference of “Esmail Baghaei”, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, was held on the evening of Sunday, January 18th.
At the beginning of the meeting, Baghaei briefly described some of the recent developments in Iran’s foreign political sphere and then answered reporters’ questions.
“According to the principle of international law, any action to commit crimes of international law must be held accountable,” Baghaei said of the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s actions to hold US President Donald Trump accountable for his crimes against Iran.
He added: These actions are in charge of the international government, and we are facing governments in international relations. Any non-international action in this regard is the responsibility of the government and must be held accountable. The State Department, in cooperation with the competent bodies, has documented these actions and filed a lawsuit in international institutions for the actions of the United States over the past few decades. The Arbitration Court of Iran and the United States also has a duty to investigate these issues. In some cases, US actions have led to the testimony of American citizens, including the downing of a passenger plane. During these 20 years, we have witnessed criminal acts. If we want to collect the harms of sanctions, it includes a long list, which is a crime against humanity. The martyrdom of Sardar Soleimani was a terrorist act. The crimes of the United States and the Zionist regime during the 12-day war are also literally a crime. It is the duty of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to follow up on these issues before the domestic and international courts. It is the duty of the State Department to find the basis of competence in international courts, which we pursue seriously. Part of this must be done by the judiciary, which is well done. Part of the work is on the Vice President for Legal Affairs.
Regarding the Wall Street Journal’s claim that “Araghchi has rejected Witkoff’s invitation to meet at the Davos summit,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said: “The media have interpretations based on their political and intellectual views.” This is also the speculation of the media.
Asked about the escalation of tensions between Iran and the United States, he said: “The United States is responsible for escalating tensions with Iran.” It is not Iran that has marched from the Persian Gulf to the US borders or interferes in the internal affairs of the United States. It is the United States that interferes in the affairs of Iran and the region. The United States also means dictation of diplomacy. The United States is a party seeking tension. What we should do to dissuade any aggressor from thinking of encroaching on Iran’s safe space is that we are so strong that we will break the clutches of any aggressor and do not rent the slightest attack on Iran.
Regarding the hostile positions of the Europeans towards Iran, Baghaei said: “These positions are not acceptable and justified. These positions are taken by deliberately ignoring the existing realities that peaceful rallies were violently rampant by terrorist agents. their human rights claims are also invalid; They did not condemn the Zionist regime by ignoring the genocide in Gaza. Britain and Germany specifically supported this genocide. Therefore, the claim of compassion for the human rights of the Iranian people is a clear lie. If they were honest, they would lift the sanctions that harm patients. Europe, by blindly following the United States and the Zionist regime, deprives itself of an effective and constructive actor in international affairs.
Regarding the Wall Street Journal article on the disintegration of Iran, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said: “This issue has also been raised by the officials of the Zionist regime and the United States. There is no doubt in their intention. Our Iran is like a thorn in their side. They have tried this experiment many times and reached the same result. Certainly, the Iranian people are more rooted than to be shaken and weak with such dreams; This dream will never come true. What they are considering is nothing but the weakening and collapse of Iran, which will never be achieved with the efforts of the Iranian people.
“Our relationship with Denmark has always been based on mutual respect,” he said of Denmark’s anti-Iranian stance. It is questionable for us that Denmark took one of the sharpest positions against Iran. About Greenland, our position is clear. We have always stressed the need to respect Danish sovereignty. The issue of the US-European dispute should not be an excuse for some European countries to reconcile relations with Iran, wanting to repair that gap or send pleasant messages to the United States.
Regarding the cooperation between Iran and the IAEA, Baghaei said: “I do not know what consultations the IAEA Director General has had with the United States. Our relationship with the agency is clear. There are calls in this context. Our representative in Vienna regulates relations with. Some time ago, part of our facility that was not damaged was normally inspected. Our relationship is normal.
Regarding Trump’s claim to stop the executions in Iran, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said: “We value human lives very much. What is clear is that our judicial process is very fair, accurate and time consuming. It is not easy to decide on something as important as an immediate decision. For us, it is also questionable who the parties that transmit such information to the international level are and how irresponsibly they create such atmosphere against Iran. This is an example of the forgery that was produced and fed to the international community, and countries took a stand based on these currents that had no real basis.
