Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi renews Iran’s warnings to the UK against the latter’s aiding those waging aggression towards the Islamic Republic.
The top diplomat made the remarks during a telephone conversation with his British counterpart Ed Miliband on Friday.
Araghchi deemed any cooperation with the aggressors, including under the pretext of previous “defense agreements,” to be “unacceptable.”
He noted that, under international law and the Definition of Aggression resolution, allowing an aggressor party to use a country’s territory and facilities to launch an unlawful attack against another country constitutes an act of aggression and entitles the country under attack to resort to “self-defense.”
On July 21, it was revealed that UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham had approved the continued use of British military bases by the United States for military aggression against Iran, maintaining a policy established under his predecessor, Keir Starmer.
The move came after another hostile decision by the British government to designate the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) under Britain’s so-called “State Threats legislation.”
Araghchi condemned as “unjustified” Britain’s inappropriate approach towards Iran, including the move targeting the IRGC, as well as London’s complicity in the two previous unprovoked wars targeting the Islamic Republic.
He stressed the need for the British government to reconsider its approach in this regard.
The foreign minister also underlined Iran’s resolve to confront any American violation targeting the Islamic Republic, again cautioning against third-party contribution to such breaches.
For his part, the British foreign secretary alleged that his country “is not part of the war with Iran.” “We believe in diplomacy to resolve issues,” Miliband said, and emphasized the need to maintain diplomatic engagement with the Islamic Republic in order to improve bilateral relations and reduce tensions in the region.
