TEHRAN, March 20 — Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi warned his British counterpart Friday against providing any assistance to the U.S. and Israeli aggression against Iran, cautioning that such support would fuel further escalation, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.
Araghchi spoke by phone with British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to discuss the ongoing conflict following coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran that began Feb. 28, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, senior military commanders, and civilians. Iran has since responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. military assets across the Middle East.
Araghchi criticized Britain for allowing the United States access to British military bases, calling the move tantamount to participation in aggression against Iran and warning it would leave a lasting mark on relations between Tehran and London. He urged British officials to halt all military and media cooperation with Washington and Tel Aviv.
The Iranian minister said current tensions in the Strait of Hormuz were a direct consequence of hostile U.S. and Israeli actions, and that only a halt to attacks on Iran could restore normal conditions in the critical waterway.
Araghchi also invoked Iran’s right to self-defense under the United Nations Charter, accused the United States of using bases in neighboring countries to strike Iranian territory, and condemned recent attacks on Iran’s South Pars gas field. He criticized Britain and certain European states for a “biased” failure to condemn violations of international law.
Cooper, for her part, called for an end to the fighting and expressed concern over the political and economic consequences of the conflict, both regionally and globally, including the growing instability in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Iranian readout.
There was no immediate statement from the British Foreign Office. (Xinhua)
