By Tasnim News (Politics) | Created at 2024-12-20 12:28:09 | Updated at 2024-12-20 17:33:45
5 hours ago
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baqaei called the joint statement issued by UK and Australian defense and foreign ministers "baseless, unrealistic, and irrelevant," and urged both nations to review their policies, which he described as contrary to the international law and interfering in the internal affairs of other countries as well as the West Asia region.
Baqaei criticized the UK and Australia for their “unwavering support” of Israel’s criminal actions in the occupied Palestinian territories and West Asia.
He condemned their stance against Iran's defensive operations in response to Israel's attack on its embassy in Damascus, emphasizing that Iran's operations—known as "True Promise 1" and "True Promise 2"—were in full compliance with international law and the UN Charter's right to self-defense.
Addressing repeated claims of ballistic missile export to Russia, Baqaei called the accusations part of US and UK efforts to “securitize international relations” and “globalize” the Ukraine conflict.
He noted that even Ukraine’s president had denied such claims.
The spokesperson further blamed the root of instability in West Asia on Israel’s “occupation and expansionism,” sustained with support from the US, UK, Australia and some other Western nations.
He added that these nations were complicit in Israel’s “atrocities,” including the genocide in Palestine and attacks on Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen over the past 14 months.
Baqaei also criticized the UK and Australia for "systematic human rights violations" in their treatment of asylum seekers in prisons and detention facilities, criticizing them for hypocrisy. The Foreign Ministry official also slammed Australia's activities and the continuance of colonial-era policies against Indigenous Australians, urging both countries to abandon their "instrumental and hypocritical" approaches to human rights.
Referring to comments by the UK Foreign Secretary that genocide in Palestine requires “millions” of deaths, Baqaei called the UK’s policy of “genocide denial” in Gaza shameful and devoid of moral credibility to lecture on human rights.
Rejecting allegations about Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, Baqaei reiterated that Iran’s activities align with its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and IAEA safeguards. He pointed out that IAEA reports consistently confirm Iran’s compliance.
Baqaei criticized the transfer of nuclear submarines to Australia under the AUKUS pact by nuclear-armed nations, the US and UK, highlighting widespread proliferation concerns and criticism within the IAEA. He added that their inaction toward Israeli regime’s nuclear arsenal reveals a clear “double standard” on nuclear non-proliferation.
The spokesperson also called for an end to the “dual approaches” of the UK and Australia regarding international norms and global stability.
