Iran assures the US that it does not want to 'escalate tensions' with Israel: Minister

The Iranian Foreign Minister said his country has sent "several messages" to the United States to confirm that Iran "does not seek to escalate tensions" in the Middle East with Israel, according to his ministry on Thursday.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said upon arriving in New York on Wednesday night to attend a meeting of the UN Security Council, "What could escalate tensions in the region is the behavior of the Zionist regime."

Israel announced on Wednesday that it "reserves the right to defend itself" against Iran, following the attack carried out by the Islamic Republic on its territory with drones and missiles last Saturday.

Abdollahian emphasized that "messages were sent before and after the operation" to the United States, especially through the Swiss embassy in Tehran, which represents American interests in Iran in the absence of diplomatic relations between the two countries, explaining that the goal is to "reach a correct understanding of Iran's actions."

He said, "We clearly informed the Americans that the decision [...] to respond to the Israeli regime," following the strike attributed to Israel against the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1st, was "final."

He added, "We tried to clarify to the United States in these messages that we do not seek to escalate tensions in the region."

Amir-Abdollahian is expected to meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other foreign ministers in New York on the sidelines of the Security Council meeting to discuss the Palestinian Authority's request for full membership in the United Nations.

AFP