Rania Abu Shamala
18 April 2024•Update: 19 April 2024
ISTANBUL
Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Thursday that Tehran had informed the US about its weekend attack on Israel.
“We informed America when the decision was taken for the necessary response to the Israeli regime within the framework of international law and legitimate defense,” Amir-Abdollahian told the state news agency IRNA.
Iran launched a drone and missile attack on Israel on Saturday, which Tehran said was in response to the April 1 attack on its consulate in Syria, in which at least 13 people were killed, including seven military advisers.
“We sent a message to the United States telling it about the operation and another message in the early morning of Sunday that we are not looking for further tension in the region,” Amir-Abollahian said.
“We told the Americans in messages clearly that the decision taken by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council headed by the president to punish the Zionist regime was definite and final and after the punitive action,” he said, referring to Israel.
“We sent another message to the United States through diplomatic channels mentioning that we are not looking for the escalation of tension in the region.”
The top diplomat said Tehran made it clear to Washington that the US bases and interests in the region would not be targeted “unless Washington wages a war in support of the Zionist regime.”
He said the Iranian messages, communicated to the US via the Swiss Embassy, which represents US interests in Iran, and official diplomatic channels aimed to “create a correct understanding of Iran's action and to prevent the escalation of tension and crisis in the region.”
Israel has vowed to respond to the Iranian attack.
