UNITED NATIONS, April 18. /TASS/. Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the country is done with retaliation and is now calling for efforts to deter Israel from further escalation.
"Actions for Iran's legitimate defense and its retaliatory and commensurate actions are now over. In this regard, it is necessary to deter the Israeli regime from any further reckless steps against Iran's interests," he said at a UN Security Council meeting.
According to the minister, in the event that Israel uses force against Tehran's interests, "the Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to use its right to give an immediate and decisive response that will make them regret."
Noting that Tehran has repeatedly stated its commitment to establishing security in the region, Abdollahian called on the Security Council to "restrain the rebellious Israeli regime and put an immediate end to the war and genocide in Gaza."
"The root of the entire crisis in the Middle East lies in the occupation of the historic Palestinian territory," the minister stated.
On the evening of April 13, Iran launched dozens of drones and missiles toward Israel in response to what it called "repeated crimes" by Tel Aviv, including the attack on the consular office of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, for which it blamed Israel. Tehran said the strikes on Israel targeted exclusively the military sites that were used for the attack on the consulate. The Israel Defense Forces said it intercepted 99% of the nearly 350 projectiles that were launched toward the country. Israel said it was preparing a response to the Iranian strike. Tehran said that it does not plan to take any further action after the recent attack and does not want escalation, but is ready to respond harshly and with "more lethal weapons" to any possible retaliation from the Jewish state.
The situation in the Middle East sharply escalated following an incursion of Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into Israel on October 7, accompanied by killings of residents of Israeli settlements near the border and taking more than 200 hostages, including children, women and elderly people. Israel then started a military operation in the Gaza Strip with the purpose of dismantling the military and political organization of Hamas and releasing all of the abducted people.