BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 24. Any country
participating in the U.S. aggression against Iran or assisting in
the strikes against the Islamic Republic will be considered a
legitimate target for the Iranian Armed Forces.
This was announced by the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Telegram,
citing the Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi's remarks at the meeting
of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Foreign
Ministers in Cholpon-Ata.
"Iran reaffirms its determination to protect the country's
sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity and declares
that any participation, cooperation, or assistance in aggression
against Iran will entail international responsibility for the
relevant parties," Araghchi said.
He called on the SCO countries for solidarity and cooperation,
and urged them not to allow "aggression to replace diplomacy, force
to replace right, and double standards to replace justice."
Meanwhile, the latest escalation in U.S.-Iranian relations began
on July 8. On that day, for the first time since the signing of the
memorandum between Washington and Tehran, the U.S. military carried
out several waves of strikes on Iranian territory, claiming that
this was in response to an attack on a merchant ship in the Strait
of Hormuz. On the same day, U.S. President Donald Trump announced
the end of the ceasefire with Iran. In response, Tehran began
attacking U.S. facilities in Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, the
UAE, and Oman.
