Araghchi: Iranians ready to defend national sovereignty, security
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi underlined that Iranian nation is ready to defend the country’s national sovereignty and security against any foreign intervention amid the US threats of military attack on Iran.
The Iranian foreign minister in a phone conversation with his Emirati counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan dismissed interventionist remarks by American authorities over recent nationwide protests in Iran as blatant interference in the country’s internal affairs.
“The Iranian nation is determined to defend the country’s national sovereignty and security against any foreign mischief and interference,” he told his Emirati counterpart.
Araghchi said that calm has returned to the country after the recent unrest which he said was a result of US and Israeli provocation of terrorist elements to derail peaceful protests over economic problems in the country.
Al Nahyan, for his part, highlighted the importance of continuous talks between Iran, the UAE, and other regional countries in order to consolidate stability and security in the region.
In a separate phone call with his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot, the Iranian foreign minister called for Paris’s condemnation of the meddlesome measures by some countries in Iran’s internal affairs.
‘Dangerous plot’
Iran’s Ambassador to London Ali Mousavi also held a meeting with British Deputy Foreign Secretary Hamish Falconer to discuss developments in Iran. Mousavi called on the British government not to fall into a trap of “political deception” and “dangerous plot” by the Israeli regime to escalate tensions in the West Asia region, according to IRNA.
The Iranian embassy shared a post on X on Tuesday, outlining details of the meeting between the ambassador and the senior British foreign office secretary.
Ambassador Mousavi explained how recent peaceful protests in Iran, which began by businesspeople over economic issues, turned into “organized violence” perpetrated by “hostile and suspicious elements.”
The recent unrest first began with limited protests by some businesspeople over the economic pressure resulted from unlawful and unilateral sanctions imposed on the Iranian people, especially by the United States and several European countries, including Britain, according to the post.
It said the protests remained peaceful for a week during which President Masoud Pezeshkian and his administration entered talks with the protesters’ representatives to hear their demands.
However, from January 8, things began to change as clear and “organized” violence emerged and continued during the protests, which were instigated by “hostile and suspicious elements,” the embassy noted in the post, saying the Iranian government has obtained evidence showing that these elements were “terrorists” who used and distributed weapons, and deliberately targeted civilians and security forces.
The embassy directly held Israel responsible for the latest terrorist acts in Iran, which left at least 100 security personnel dead alongside civilians.