Iran denies launching attacks on neighbours, warns incidents may be ‘staged’ to sow discord
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei denied that the country had initiated any offensive action against Turkiye, Cyprus, or Azerbaijan, saying “no offensives were initiated from Iranian territory” towards these countries. He suggested some incidents may have been “staged,” warning that “the enemy may stage certain attacks to drive a wedge between us and other countries.”
He emphasised Iran was “adamant to maintain good and friendly relations” but reserved the right to defend itself if other countries’ territories were used to launch attacks. “Our act of defence cannot be interpreted as an act of hostility towards any of these countries,” he said.
Baghaei said ceasefire mediation efforts were “irrelevant” as long as military confrontations continued. “At this particular point, speaking of any matter other than defending our homeland is irrelevant,” he added. “We did not initiate or start this war. It is not a war of choice. It is a war of necessity that was imposed on us.”
He accused the US of “torpedo[ing]” diplomatic talks before its latest strikes and said US-Israeli actions put all international laws at risk, aiming to fragment Iran and seize its “oil riches.”
Iran launches fresh missile barrage after Mojtaba Khamenei takes charge
Iran fired missiles at Israel early Monday in the name of the Islamic Republic’s new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was selected to succeed his slain father despite threats by the United States and Israel to target him next.
Nine days after US-Israeli strikes killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and plunged the Middle East into war, Shia clerics convened to choose the country’s third supreme leader since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
An announcer on state television solemnly read a statement from the 88-member Assembly of Experts next to a picture of the new 56-year-old leader, who bears a striking resemblance to his father.
Mojtaba Khamenei is appointed and introduced as the third leader of the sacred system of the Islamic Republic of Iran, based on the decisive vote of the respected representatives of the Assembly of Experts”, the statement said.
It said the clerical body “did not hesitate for a minute” in choosing a new leader despite “the brutal aggression of the criminal America and the evil Zionist regime”.
State media soon afterwards showed a projectile said to be launched at Israel bearing the slogan, “At Your Command, Sayyid Mojtaba”, using an Islamic honorific.
Explosions were also heard early Monday in Qatar, home to a major US air base.
The war came weeks after Iranian security forces crushed nationwide protests against the government, killing thousands. The younger Khamenei is considered a fellow hardliner who will pursue his father’s rejection of dissent.
US President Donald Trump had previously dismissed the younger Khamenei as a “lightweight” and insisted Sunday again that he should have a say in appointing a new leader.
“If he doesn’t get approval from us, he’s not going to last long,” he told ABC News before the announcement was made. Israel’s military had also warned any successor that “we will not hesitate to target you”.
China’s Foreign Ministry has reacted to Iran’s naming of Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader, saying only that it is an internal issue, according to Al Jazeera.
