Iran Says Regional Security Depends on Cooperation, Not U.S. Presence

Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokeswoman for Iran’s foreign ministry, stated on Saturday that regional cooperation—rather than the US presence—is crucial to the region’s security and stability.

In an interview with China’s Xinhua News Agency, he stressed Tehran’s dedication to regional diplomacy while offering a severe warning about the continuous American-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The spokesperson reiterated Tehran’s commitment to positive relations with its neighbors, stating that Tehran aims to improve ties with all Persian Gulf nations as well as other nearby nations.

The US-Israeli military campaign against the Islamic Republic, which has killed almost 1,400 civilians in Iran since February 28, has been explicitly repudiated by Bagheri.

“No rationale or rule of international law can justify the hostile act by the United States and the Israeli state. He declared, “This is a breach of peace, and the Iranian nation is determined to defend itself for as long as necessary.”

A spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry also rejected rumors that the country would give in to pressure, pointing out that despite the country’s unjust and unprovoked war, a wealthy culture like Iran will never give up.

“The people of Iran have learned throughout history that in the face of injustice, they will survive and remain strong,” he said.

Bagheri stated that the United States is using these bases, which are dispersed throughout Iran, to carry out military aggression against Iran in response to ongoing Iranian retaliation strikes against American assets in the Persian Gulf region.

In reference to the growing agreement among Persian Gulf states regarding the necessity of domestic security measures free from foreign involvement, he added that regional nations have “fully realized that the US military presence” in the region weakens rather than secures stability.

On Saturday, the war against Iran began its fifteenth day. Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Revolution, and several senior military leaders were assassinated when the conflict began on February 28, during indirect nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

Iranian military forces have launched over 40 waves of Operation True Promise 4 in retaliation, destroying US military installations dispersed throughout the region as well as Israeli military facilities in the occupied territories.