FM spox: Iran defending human values amid ‘colonialism’ return

Iran is standing up not only to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity against aggression but also to uphold the humanitarian values and principles shaped throughout history, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said.

Iran’s confrontation with the aggressors must be viewed against the backdrop of a return to the logic of classical colonialism, in which powerful countries sought to seize the territory and plunder the resources of others, Baghaei told ILNA on Tuesday. 

“I think the world is returning to the classic colonialism era. Back in the day, colonizers were explicitly after seizing the land of other countries and there were talks of plundering the resources of others,” he said.

Baghaei said the language and policies employed by US authorities today increasingly reflected such colonialist thinking.

“That is why I believe Iran’s confrontation with the aggressors today is beyond defending the national sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is the defense of human values,” he stated.

Turning to the United Nations, Baghaei said its role in addressing wars and aggression around the world had deteriorated to a “very disturbing” level.

He said the UN had increasingly become an instrument in the hands of powerful actors, at times acting according to their interests rather than fulfilling its responsibility to uphold peace and international law.

“The United Nations is either reticent or passive when it needs to take action and, unfortunately, at times it stands by the aggressor,” Baghaei said.

Iran won both war and diplomacy in US-Israeli aggression: Araghchi

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Iran not only prevailed on the battlefield but also succeeded diplomatically in the recent aggression and the 12-day war.

He pointed to Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza, particularly since October 2023, as well as the regime's onslaught in Lebanon, saying the UN’s failure to take meaningful action had allowed the Israeli regime to continue its aggression without facing effective international consequences.

Baghaei also compared the UN’s response to the two recent US-Israeli aggressions against Iran with its conduct during the eight-year war imposed on the Islamic Republic in the 1980s.

“During the recent wars of aggression against Iran, the United Nations acted the same way it did during the imposed war of the 1980s. There was not even one resolution from the Security Council or the Secretary General of the UN,” he said.

He criticized UN officials for responding to aggression with calls for restraint and expressions of concern, saying such appeals unfairly place the burden on the party subjected to aggression.

“One cannot expect the side that has been attacked to exercise restraint,” Baghaei said.

The Foreign Ministry spokesman underscored Iran’s inherent right to self-defense, noting that the right is enshrined in international law.

All countries really need to be worried about the future of the United Nations,” he added, stressing that the United States and Israel are the foremost violators of the fundamental principles of the international body.

Baghaei also addressed negotiations between Iran and the United States, saying Washington’s approach showed that it was not genuinely seeking peace.

“They (Americans) are not here for peace talks,” he said, adding that the US had come to the negotiating table “locked and loaded,” making it necessary for Iran to stand its ground until Washington abandons its belligerent attitude.

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