01:23They believe that they are able to defeat Iran in a few days, but the response they received was very
01:32strong.
01:32Ambassador, Iran's foreign minister said, I will quote him,
01:36We've had two decades to study defeats of the U.S. military to our immediate east and west.
01:42We have incorporated lessons accordingly.
01:45Bombing in our capital has no impact on our ability to conduct the war.
01:52And yet the impact has been significant for Iran.
01:55Our country has been able for this war.
01:58While we were negotiating, the advice to our military forces has been to be prepared for this war.
02:04And they have prepared themselves.
02:06Of course, the number of civilian casualties is high because the aggressors are targeting civilian infrastructure, the civilian targets.
02:21And in one individual case, they have attacked one school in Minah, which led to the massacre of more than
02:32160 students.
02:34Ambassador, but Iran is doing it similarly when it comes to the Gulf states, when it comes to the attacks
02:41on the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar.
02:45These are also not only the U.S. military bases that have been targeted by Iran, but also infrastructure.
02:52No, I cannot accept that claim.
02:57Our military forces have been instructed to exclusively target military bases, which are used by the United States against our
03:08country.
03:08Ambassador, but there have been attacks by Iran on the airports, on the residential buildings, on the hotels across the
03:17Gulf states.
03:18We have people on the ground in the United Arab Emirates, in Qatar, and these people, the journalists, our correspondents,
03:24have been documenting the attacks on non-military sites.
03:28As I told you, there might be some operations made by, not by Iran, maybe by the United States or
03:39Israel in those countries to attribute it to Iran.
03:42But one fact to share with you is that sometimes the U.S. military is using some locations, which seemingly
03:53it is civil, but actually it is a military center.
03:59It should be considered as a legitimate target for Iran.
04:03What would be the purpose of the U.S. and Israel targeting these civilian sites across the Gulf?
04:09When you are talking about the U.S. and Israel, you shouldn't look for any reasonable argument or any reasonable
04:23intention.
04:24Their intention is to drag those countries into war.
04:28Ambassador, Iran-made drones also targeted to British base in Cyprus, while also NATO air defense systems intercepted two Iranian
04:37ballistic missiles
04:39heading towards already entering Turkish airspace.
04:43What about these attacks?
04:45Why Iran is looking at the British base in Cyprus and towards NATO airspace towards Turkey?
04:52Our officials have rejected these news about making any attack in the space of Turkey.
05:25Does that also include the European countries where the U.S. forces might also be stationed?
05:34Let me make it clear, it has been a policy which has been pronounced and announced by our military forces.
05:44Any facility, any base which is used to attack against Iran would be a legitimate target for our military forces.
05:56Including any sites that are in Europe?
05:59In order to defend our country, we will defend our country according to what we need to make our country
06:09secure and to make sure that there is no any aggression against our country.
06:15Ambassador, but within your own country, Iran is attacking its own civilians?
06:19No.
06:21You rejected the claim?
06:22Yes.
06:24But there is proof that the civilians were attacked?
06:29By Iran?
06:30Yes.
06:30The civilians in Iran, the protesters in Iran.
06:33It was a complicated scenario which was planned and followed by the United States and Israel against the security of
06:42Iran.
06:43If you look at the evidences and incidents in Iran, in the early days, it was peaceful demonstrations which received
06:53respect and recognition by our government.
06:56But at a later stage, it was transformed into a very organized terrorist activity against the security of our people.
07:06If you look at the gatherings in the streets of Iran nowadays, there are millions of people coming into the
07:13streets in order to defend the country.
07:17Ambassador, Iran threatens to mine or blockade the Strait of Hormuz.
07:23That sent global oil prices spiking.
07:25I want to ask how Iran is going to do that, whether this is still the plan.
07:32And also, wouldn't it strangle Iran's own economy in this case?
07:36Iran has not any intention to block the Strait of Hormuz.
07:42There is a war around the Strait of Hormuz.
07:46There is the exchange of fire.
07:48Iran, of course, is protecting the Strait of Hormuz.
07:53It should be and it can be used by everybody as far as there is no any threat, as far
08:00as there is no any war on that region.
08:03The only limitation or restraint that we will impose is on the ships belonging to those countries who have any
08:16kind of involvement in the war against Iran.
08:19Of course, the situation in Hormuz affects the global economy.
08:25We are not happy with that.
08:26It will affect the economy of Iran, too.
08:29We do not reject it.
08:31But, Ambassador, it was Iranian officials who said they will close the Strait of Hormuz and they are ready to
08:38do that.
08:39Of course, our country is ready for any scenario, if it is necessary.
08:45What we are trying to prevent is that the U.S. navies are approaching to our borders and creating threats
08:56against our security.
08:58What do you see as the end game?
09:01Our purpose is to end this vicious circle of negotiating and being attacked.
09:09We want to continue our defensive action to reach to a point that the aggression is stopped.
09:19They should come to a new understanding that they cannot defeat Iran.
09:26Is Iran ready to talk to the U.S.?
09:30Iran has been open to diplomacy before and it was U.S. who attacked us during diplomacy.
09:37They did it two times, one in June and the second time this time.
09:43And, of course, Iran did not abandon the diplomatic canal.
09:49Iran was negotiating.
09:51Is there a contact now between Iran and the U.S. now, two weeks into the war?
09:56As far as I know, there hasn't been any contact between Iran and the United States.
10:03Of course, there are some efforts by some countries, by some leaders in order to reactivate the diplomatic
10:14canals, but I'm not sure if there is any serious initiative developed so far.
10:23The U.S. and Israel said one of the targets and the main goals there is the change of the
10:27regime.
10:28And we saw them specifically going after Iranian authorities and the regime leaders.
10:34Who is in charge at the moment in Iran?
10:36In Iran, the political system is working very efficiently.
10:43Although we have lost our supreme leader, but a new leader has been elected by the Council
10:51of Experts.
10:53I think it has two important messages.
10:59The first message is the stability in Iran.
11:02if a country is able to elect its leader during such a war.
11:09Secondly, it is a sign of continuity in our country.
11:14And there is no any vacuum in our country now.
11:19There is, though, a confusion because we've heard the president apologizing to the Gulf countries.
11:26The president's message was misunderstood.
11:29He said that we will not attack and we have not attacked any base or location which has not been
11:39involved in military operation against Iran.
11:43And he was trying to explain for our neighboring countries that this is not a war against our neighboring countries.
11:51Ambassador, thank you. I appreciate you being on Euronews.
11:55Thank you very much.
11:55Thank you very much.
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