BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 27. Iran’s decisions are
guided by the country’s national interests, Iranian Foreign
Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said.
Speaking at a press conference in Tehran on July 27, Baghaei
said decisions concerning Iran’s interests involve a range of
factors rather than a single consideration.
"Decisions related to the country’s national interests are not
based on a simple, single-variable approach. A wide range of
factors and changing circumstances must be taken into account. Iran
has never allowed and will never allow the United States to decide
when war or peace should take place," he said.
Baghaei said Iran would defend its interests whenever necessary
and would use diplomatic channels when required to safeguard
national security.
"The other side believed Iran would collapse within three days.
However, five months later, they have found themselves trapped in
the quagmire of war," he added.
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.
