Iran’s foreign minister has told his German counterpart that “legitimate defense with the aim of punishing the aggressor is a necessity” after Israel’s April 1 airstrike on the Iranian consular section in Damascus.
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Annalena Baerbock held phone talks on Thursday, during which the top Iranian diplomat also criticized Germany for its “neutrality” on the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip.
Iran has pledged retaliation for the Israeli airstrike that killed seven Iranian military advisors at its diplomatic annex in the Syrian capital.
“When Israel endangers diplomatic immunity, legitimate defense with the goal of punishing the aggressor is a necessity,” Amir-Abdollahian said, according to a statement issued by the foreign ministry in Tehran.
The statement said the two ministers discussed the latest developments in the region and bilateral relations, emphasizing the necessity to maintain the path of dialog.
“The foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is always based on avoiding tension,” Amir-Abdollahian said.
Iran, the minister said, expected Germany to clearly condemn the Israeli crime in killing its military advisors.
“If a similar missile attack had taken place on one of the diplomatic places in the war zone in Ukraine, would the reaction of the United States and Europe have been the same?” he said.
