"Exercising the right of legitimate defense shows Iran's responsible approach to regional and international peace and security," Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian wrote on his X account in reaction to IRGC's drones and missiles attack against occupied lands in response to the Israeli terrorist attack on Iran's consulate building in Syria on April 1.
At this point, the Islamic Republic of Iran has no intention of continuing defensive operations, but if necessary, it will not hesitate to protect its legitimate interests against any new aggression, he said.
Addressing group of ambassadors and heads of foreign missions residing in Tehran, the Iranian top diplomat also said, "In our message to White House this morning we explained that this was a limited response."
Saying that Iran has not targeted any civilians in its response to Israeli aggression, Amir-Abdollahian said, "We targeted airbase for F-35 jets and intel centers used in strike on our consulate in Damascus."
"If UN had condemned Israeli strike, we would have thought twice about our response," Amir-Abdollahian noted.
"We do not seek to target American people and bases in the region and we do not welcome the extension of tensions," he said, adding, "We will target US bases if they are used to aid Zionist aggression."
"We thank the countries of the region for receiving our message. We are always committed to the safety of our brothers in the region. We consider the security of our neighbors as the security of Iran," the Iranian top diplomat said.
"About 72 hours before the operation, we informed the neighbors and countries in the region that Iran's response is definite and certain in the form of legitimate defense," he added.
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