Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said at a press conference in Tehran on Monday that achieving sustainable security in the region requires trust and cooperation among all countries.
Speaking at the weekly briefing, Baghaei said a meeting in Tehran with senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, and Pakistan focused on issues including Israeli expansionism and U.S. military aggression against Iran.
"Iran believes it is welcomed that regional states seek to establish, or at least begin considering the establishment of, a regional security mechanism that aligns with their own interests and priorities. This meeting could serve as a starting point for further building and refining an autonomous regional security framework, a concept Iran has advocated for over a decade. We have repeatedly emphasized that regional security cannot be achieved without the collective will of the regional states themselves, and that it must also fully account for the security concerns and aspirations of each individual nation," said the spokesman.
On the Iranian nuclear issue, Baghaei accused the United States of seeking to launch military strikes against Iran under the pretext of destroying the country's nuclear program. He further stated that the international community should recognize that the U.S. is using the so-called "Iranian nuclear threat" as an excuse to wage war, essentially employing a lie as a basis for threatening international peace and security.
In addition, Baghaei commented on the impact of Israel's parliamentary election on relations between Iran and Israel. He said the outcome of the election on Tuesday would make no difference to Iran.
The spokesman criticized Israel's record in West Asia, saying it had brought nothing to the region but "violence and massacre." He also accused Israel of continuing "genocide" against Palestinians and said Israeli threats against Iran were part of its hostile conduct.
Responding to Israeli officials' claims that Iran might launch preemptive strikes to disrupt the election, Baghaei warned that Israel was "highly adept at carrying out false-flag operations."
He said Iran was closely monitoring developments and that its armed forces would not hesitate to defend the country's territory, adding that Iran was in a state of war and would exercise its right to self-defense.
Iran calls for cooperation to achieve sustainable security after regional meeting
