Majid Tafreshi stated that Israel attacked “provinces of Iran without any authorization, without any approach to international law, just propaganda, and killed about 100 civilians, maybe more.”
The ambassador emphasized that Article 51 of the UN “allows everyone to be obliged to defend themselves and there is no other way to do it except through the Security Council, the European Union, and other stakeholders,” pointing out that “when the international community fails, the only option for the victimized country, in this case, Iran, is self-defense.”
Israel and Iran have been at war since early Friday morning when Tel Aviv bombarded Iranian military and nuclear facilities, causing at least 78 deaths, including military leaders and scientists, and hundreds of injuries, according to Iranian diplomacy.
For Majid Tafreshi, the EU, similar to other issues like Ukraine, when witnessing any attack, “should have the same position”: “to accuse and condemn this brutality because, based on international law, if the abuse of power becomes a norm, then everyone can attack anyone.”
If the abuse of power is normalized, “it will be a very costly issue for international peace and security,” he reiterated.
The ambassador thus appealed to the international community to condemn Israel’s actions and that “everyone should be responsible for what they have done.”
Regarding Portuguese citizens in Iran, the ambassador assured that “there is no problem” and Iran is a safe country. To date, Iranian authorities have not received “any negative reports, the embassy is active, is working, and is issuing visas.”
“The Iranian government has done its best to ensure the safety of all embassies and all other foreign residents in Iran, including Portugal,” he emphasized.
The ambassador also argued that Israel is making “false interpretations” to “divert the international community’s attention from the catastrophe in Gaza and other issues.”
The Israeli attacks, carried out by 200 planes against a hundred targets, primarily hit Tehran (north) and the Natanz uranium enrichment plant (center).
Iran retaliated by launching hundreds of missiles into Israeli territory, with explosions reported over the cities of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, killing at least three people and injuring dozens.
