We do not desire war or seek an adventure, since our nation is prudent and sensible, said Salehi. However, we will brilliantly defend ourselves if we come under attack, he added, quoted in an IRIB report on an interview he held with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung published on Tuesday.
We will defend ourselves by any means, but on our own territory. We will of course suffer injuries, but we will inflict harm to the attackers, he added.
The United States and the Israeli regime have repeatedly threatened Tehran with military strikes under the false pretext that Iran's nuclear program may have a covert military diversion.
Iran has refuted the allegations, saying that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
On Thursday, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak once again threatened Iran with “all options,” yet ruling out speculations about the possibility of an imminent attack on Iran's nuclear sites.
"We have no intention of acting for the moment...We should not engage in war when it is not necessary, but there may come a time or another when we are forced to face tests," Barak said.
However, the senior Tel Aviv official reaffirmed Israel's anti-Iran rhetoric, threatening Tehran with “all options.”
Iranian officials have vowed to deliver a crushing response to any military strike against the country, warning that any such measure could result in a war that would certainly reach far beyond the Middle East.
In response to a question on whether Iran is providing financial and training support to Afghan militants to prevent Afghanistan from remaining a US outpost as in the case of Iraq, Salehi emphasized that Iran supports Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who was elected to office by the people of the country.
As long as Afghan people trust President Karzai, we will as well, he noted.
press tv/281
Amid the persisting rhetoric and speculations about an attempt by the Israeli regime to launch a military strike against Iranian nuclear sites, Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi reiterates that the Islamic Republic will put up a “wonderful” defense to such attacks.
News ID 181256
