Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Saturday that Iran was determined to defend itself after Israeli warplanes struck military bases and missile sites in several Iranian provinces, killing two soldiers.
“I think we’ve shown that our determination to defend ourselves knows no limits,” Araghchi said in an interview with the official website of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The minister’s comments were the first by a senior Iranian official since the pre-dawn strikes. Israel had vowed to retaliate after October 1, when Iran fired around 200 missiles in its second ever direct attack against its arch-foe.
In April, in its first direct assault against Israeli territory, Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles.
Tehran said that barrage was retaliation for a strike on Iran’s consular annexe in Damascus that killed commanders of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“We will defend our territory and our homeland,” Araghchi said. “I think everyone has already seen that.”
Iranian AirForce statement
Iran's state news agency, IRNA, reported that the Foreign Ministry emphasized Iran's right to self-defence, citing "its inherent right to legitimate defence" under Article 51 of the UN Charter, following recent Israeli airstrikes on military targets within Iranian territory.
"The army of the Islamic Republic of Iran lost two of its fighters during the night when they faced projectiles from the criminal Zionist regime in defence of its territory," the ministry stated.
Iran’s air defence command announced Saturday that its systems intercepted Israeli airstrikes targeting military sites across several provinces, including Tehran, Ilam, and Khuzestan, effectively countering the attacks. The IRNA report highlighted the air defence system’s swift response, successfully intercepting the incoming assaults.
The Foreign Ministry’s statement continued: "The Zionist regime’s continued occupation, illegal actions, and crimes—particularly the genocide of the Palestinian people and aggression against Lebanon, sustained by the comprehensive support of the United States and other Western countries—are the primary causes of tension and insecurity in the region."
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