Iran Analyzes Attack on Its Consulate With European Diplomats

On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock held a phone conversation on Thursday to exchange views on Israel's deadly attack on Iran's consulate in Syria.

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Pointing to Israel's attack on April 1 on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Amir-Abdollahian stressed that Iran's foreign policy had always been based on staying away from tension.

However, legitimate self-defense was a necessity when Israel, in breach of international law and relevant Vienna conventions, fully violated the immunity of diplomatic premises and personnel, he said, adding taht Iran expected Germany to explicitly condemn Israel's "recent crimes."

Turning to the situation in Gaza, the Iranian foreign minister said, "The sole way to resolve the present problems is to end (Israel's) genocide and war crimes in Gaza," adding Palestinians had the legitimate right to self-defense.

The text reads, "France is immediately evacuating the Iran-based diplomats' families. It also issued a serious recommendation to all French citizens to avoid traveling to Iran, Lebanon, Israel, and Palestine. In agreement with the United States, Europe and NATO, any diplomatic mission in these areas is now prohibited."

Amir-Abdollahian welcomed the clarification of the existing misunderstandings, emphasizing that Tehran expected Berlin not to repeat its baseless accusations against Iran, and defend the rights of thousands of women and children in Gaza.

"Under the present circumstances where tension is high in the (West Asian) region, Germany requested Iran to exercise restraint," the German foreign minister said, adding that her country explicitly underlined that diplomatic missions enjoyed complete immunity.

Moreover, Baerbock outlined the German government's ongoing efforts toward achieving a political solution to end the war in the Palestinian coastal enclave.

In a phone call with British Foreign Secretary David Cameron on Thursday, Amir-Abdollahian slammed Britain for its inaction in condemning the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate.

Amir-Abdollahian stressed that Iran had never sought to escalate tension in the region, but in the face of Israel's "terrorist attack" on the Iranian consulate, the silence of the U.S. and Britain would encourage Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to continue and expand its warmongering in the region.

Pointing to the regional tensions, Cameron urged Iran to exercise restraint, emphasizing the potential expansion of conflicts if either party fails to exercise restraint.