“I won’t go into details about our cooperation with other countries, right in the middle of a war,” Abbas Araghchi, ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran, stated, adding that the military cooperation between Moscow and Tehran “has never been a secret.” When asked about Beijing, the head of Iranian diplomacy avoided direct comment.
Araghchi also assured that Iran did not start the war against its neighbors: “We did not attack our neighbors. We did not attack Muslim countries. We attacked American targets and American bases, American installations, which unfortunately are located in the territory of our neighbors.” The minister clarified that he contacted his counterparts in those countries to ensure they were not targets, describing attacks on civilians as “collateral damage,” including residential areas in Bahrain, hotels in Dubai, and Kuwait’s international airport.
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Asked about the Strait of Hormuz, which guarantees the transport of about 20% of the world’s oil, Araghchi denied that Iran had closed it, contradicting recent statements by Brigadier General Ebrahim Jabbari of the Revolutionary Guard. “They did not close it. It is the ships and tankers that do not risk the crossing because they are afraid they might be hit by either side,” he explained.
“Thus, we do not intend to close it at this moment, but as the war continues, we will consider all scenarios,” concluded the minister, leaving open the possibility of future actions as the conflict unfolds.
