Possible Reply To Israeli Attacks, Iran Calls For 'Deal Defense'

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian/PHOTO via Wikimedia Commons/ Meghad Madadi

JAKARTA - Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said "legitimate defense" was a necessity when Israel violated individual immunity and diplomatic facilities that violated international law.

Hossein Amir Abdollahian delivered the statement by phone call with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Thursday, with a key discussion on tensions between Tehran and Tel Aviv, Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

13 people were killed in an attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus last week, including seven Iranian military advisers, which the Iranian government says were carried out by their arch-enemy, Israel.

Among those killed included General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, senior commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Syria and Lebanon, and his deputy General Hadi Haj Rahemi.

The attack, which took place amid increasing regional tensions following an Israeli attack on Gaza that has killed more than 33,300 Palestinians, sparked an angry reaction from Iran.

Following the attack, Iranian political and military leaders vowed to carry out "definite retaliation," prompting officials in many countries to try to mediate to defuse the situation.

In a phone call Thursday, April 11 with the German Foreign Minister, Iran's foreign minister said his country's foreign policy was based on "detaining oneself from tensions", reported by ANTARA from Anadolu, Friday, April 12.

But when Israel "completely violated" the immunity of diplomats and diplomatic places that violated international law and the Vienna Convention, "legitimate defense" became a necessity.

He criticized Germany's decision not to condemn the attack and asked Baerbock whether European or American countries would take a similar stance if missile attacks occurred in diplomatic places in Ukraine's war zone.

Amir-Abdollahian called Israel a "residential entity" and said Palestine had "the right to a legitimate defense," and added the only way to solve the current problem was to "end genocide" in Gaza.

He said Germany's efforts to mediate a ceasefire in Gaza were "unproductive" mainly because the country was less neutral in the matter, and this indicated Berlin's pro-Israeli tendency.

Meanwhile, the German Foreign Minister stressed diplomatic countries have full impunity and added his country had made efforts to end the war in Gaza through political solutions, according to a ministry statement.

In a post on platform X following a telephone conversation with Amir-Abdollahian, Baerbock urged Tehran and Tel Aviv to exercise restraint amid rising tensions over the Damascus consulate attack.

No one is interested in wider regional escalation. We urge all actors in the region to act responsibly and exercise maximum restraint," he wrote.

Speaking at the Eid meeting in Tehran, Wednesday (10/4), Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei renewed the threat of retaliation, saying Israel "will be punished" for the attack.

"The evil regime has made a mistake in this case and must be punished and will be punished," Khamenei warned, sparking speculation that a retaliatory military action was imminent.

Responding to the statement, Israeli Foreign Minister Katz through platform X stressed Israel's readiness to retaliate in the event of an Iranian military strike.

"If Iran attacks from its own territory, Israel will retaliate and attack in Iran," he wrote.

Tensions between Iran and Israel, which have no diplomatic relations, have risen dramatically amid the war in Gaza and related developments, including attacks on the interests of Israel and America in the region by Iranian ally groups in Iraq and Yemen.