KUALA LUMPUR — Iran is determined to defend sovereignty and protecting its people amid the ongoing military conflict with the United States (US) and Israel.
Iranian Ambassador to Malaysia, Valiollah Mohammadi Nasrabadi said Tehran prioritized ending the war as soon as possible, but as a sovereign country, “the country has no choice but to retaliate when attacked”.
“God willing. We (Iran) will witness victory and America and Israel will understand that now is not the right time for them to attack any country they want,” he told Bernama in an exclusive interview here, Tuesday.
According to Valiollah, at least 2,000 people in Iran, the majority of whom are children and civilians, have been killed in US-Israeli military attacks across its territory since the conflict began on February 28.
Among those killed were Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, more than 150 schoolgirls, and senior military officers.
On the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, son of Ali Khamenei, as the new Supreme Leader, the Ambassador said the news was greeted with joy and celebrated by the people.
He said that despite the ongoing attacks on Iran, daily activities in the country were proceeding as normal, except for the closure of schools which saw students now studying online.
Asked about the attack on Iranian oil facilities last weekend, he said: “We (Iran) had the reserves and we managed it on the same day. No problem. No problem at all.”
Iran has been embroiled in a military crisis with the US-Israeli since February 28 after both sides launched joint attacks on Iran, targeting its civilian, military and nuclear infrastructure.
In response, Tehran launched a series of missile and drone attacks on Israel and US interests in the Gulf countries, which has further plunged the region into turmoil and sparked global concern.
— BERNAMA
