Iranian Foreign Minister Warns UK Not to Aid US and Israel

Tehran (ANTARA) - Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Friday (20/3) warned UK Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper against providing any assistance in the United States (US) and Israel’s aggression against Iran, warning that such support would trigger further escalation, according to Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Araghchi held a telephone conversation with Cooper to discuss the ongoing conflict following the coordinated US and Israeli attacks on Iran that began on 28 February, which killed Iran’s supreme leader at the time, Ali Khamenei, as well as several senior military commanders and civilians. Iran subsequently responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and US military assets across the Middle East. Araghchi criticised the UK for allowing the US access to British military bases, describing the move as tantamount to participation in aggression against Iran. Araghchi also warned that the UK’s actions would leave an indelible scar on relations between Tehran and London. He urged British officials to cease all military and media cooperation with Washington and Tel Aviv. The Iranian Foreign Minister stated that the current tensions in the Strait of Hormuz are a direct consequence of the hostile actions by the US and Israel, and emphasised that only halting attacks on Iran can restore normal conditions in that vital waterway. Araghchi also affirmed Iran’s right to self-defence under the United Nations Charter, accusing the US of using bases in neighbouring countries to attack Iranian territory, and condemned the latest attack on Iran’s South Pars gas field. He criticised the UK and certain European countries for their biased failure to condemn violations of international law. Meanwhile, Cooper called for an end to the fighting and expressed concern over the political and economic consequences of the conflict, both regionally and globally, including increased instability in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Iranian statement. No direct statement has been issued by the UK Foreign Office.