Iranian FM: Tehran maintains positive relations with Iraq, Pakistan
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Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, divulges that Iran has shared intelligence with Iraq regarding Mossad's espionage activities in Iraq's Kurdistan region.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian gestures during a session at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos on January 17, 2024 (AFP)
Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who is attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, issued a strong warning on Wednesday, threatening a robust response to any attack on Iran's national security. He affirmed that Iran maintains very positive relations with both Iraq and Pakistan.
On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Amir-Abdollahian also mentioned that Iran has shared intelligence with Iraq regarding Mossad's espionage activities in Iraq's Kurdistan region.
He emphasized that "Jaish ul-Adl, a terrorist group linked to Israel, was targeted," pointing out that “none of the nationals of the friendly and brotherly country of Pakistan were targeted by Iranian missiles and drones.”
Additionally, he highlighted that "everyone will be impacted if Israel's offenses in Gaza are not promptly halted."
The Northern front and the Red Sea dynamics
Amir Abdollahian disclosed that over the last 100 days, he had two meetings with Hezbollah's Secretary-General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Amir-Abdollahian stated that within the 48 hours leading up to the humanitarian pause in Gaza, he asked Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah whether Hezbollah's operations would stop if "Israel's" aggression against Gaza ceased. At the time, Sayyed Nasrallah confirmed that Hezbollah's engagement aims to defend the Palestinians, and if the attacks cease, Hezbollah will also halt its operations.
He also noted that there has been a recent development in the Lebanese arena, unprecedented since 2006.
"Until now, the Lebanese capital had not been a target. However, Israel did not limit its actions to killing civilians in Gaza; it extended destruction beyond Gaza, assassinated a Hamas leader in Beirut, triggering a new situation," he added.
Commenting on the situation in the Red Sea, the Foreign Minister said that the strategic waterway is important to the Islamic Republic, but it is tied to the genocidal war conducted by the Israeli occupation against Gaza.
"In the event that the Israeli aggression against Gaza comes to a halt, the Yemeni forces will discontinue their targeting of Israeli ships or ships heading to the Israeli entity in the Red Sea," he stressed.
Legitimate self-defense
On Monday evening, the Iranian Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announced carrying out multiple strikes, using ballistic missiles and drones, on terrorist targets in Syria and Mossad headquarters in Iraqi Kurdistan's Erbil.
Then, in a later statement on Tuesday, it revealed another strike on strongholds belonging to Jaish ul-Adl in Pakistan, a group designated as "terrorist" by Iran.
According to Iranian media, the operation came after long years of communicating with several regional governments regarding terrorist attacks targeting Iran that were originating from their countries, including Iraq.
On its part, the IRGC announced the strikes were in response to the terrorist explosions against civilians in Kerman, which resulted in the martyrdom of around 100 people, and the assassination of senior IRGC and Resistance leaders.
However, the operations saw heavy protests from Pakistan and Iraq, who announced a series of diplomatic measures against Iran in response.
Amir-Abdollahian said the strikes are “in line with combating terrorism and legitimate self-defense.”
“We have no reservations when it comes to securing our national interest with any other country."
