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Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Ali Bahreini, has described the actions of the United States, which have thrown the Middle East into a regional crisis and caused ripple effects across the globe, as “totally stupid”.
According to Bahreini, the US betrayed Iran by attacking the country while negotiations were ongoing.
“It was a totally stupid decision. They will know in the future how stupid this decision has been. Both of them will understand, because Iran will firmly determine the situation and the destiny of this war,” said Bahreini.
“All our neighbours are now disappointed with the betrayal of the United States because everybody was working for diplomacy, particularly Oman.
“The US betrayed everybody.”
Bahreini stressed that Iran had no problems with its neighbouring countries but could not allow US bases in the region be used as launchpads for attacks on Iran. He justified the country’s attacks on US bases in Gulf countries, saying they were its defence mechanism against a war “imposed” on it.
“War was not our option. War was imposed on Iran. Nobody should expect Iran to show restraint in front of aggression. We will continue our defence until the point that this aggression is stopped,” he said.
Two days before the US and Israel struck Iran, the US and Iran held indirect negotiations in Geneva on Iran’s nuclear programme. According to AFP, the Omani mediators had reported “significant progress”.
Bahreini told UN correspondents that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convinced US President Donald Trump to ditch diplomacy and attack Iran.
Iran has launched a series of missiles and drone attacks across Gulf countries, a move which has been described as “retaliatory attacks”, but Bahreini officials claimed the attacks were not reprisals.
He added that the Iranian Government are in talks with neighbouring countries, emphasising that it was not a regional war.
