Tehran seeks peace but will deliver a decisive response if attacked, Iran’s deputy foreign minister said in an interview with CTV Belarus on the sidelines of the Eurasian Security Conference in Minsk, according to Iranian media.
The recent confrontation in June had shattered long-standing assumptions about Israel’s military power, Saeed Khatibzadeh said.
“The myth of Israel’s invincibility collapsed after Iran’s response,” he added, describing Tehran’s military action as a turning point that proved Iran’s capacity to retaliate.
Earlier this year, the United States held five rounds of negotiations with Tehran over its disputed nuclear program under a 60-day deadline set by President Donald Trump.
When no agreement was reached by the 61st day, on June 13, Israel launched a surprise military offensive, followed by US strikes on June 22 targeting key nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Natanz, and Fordow.
“Iran has no choice but to secure a decisive victory against the aggressor,” Khatibzadeh said, arguing that any attack on Iran would be met with a response aimed at ensuring that “the aggressor will undoubtedly regret its decision.”
‘We are peace-seeking, but we fight well’
Iran does not seek confrontation but will not hesitate to defend itself, Khatibzadeh said. “We are a peace-seeking people, but if war is imposed on us, we fight well… We never sought confrontation, but they chose the path of confrontation.”
The deputy minister linked Iran’s stance to what he called the “geopolitical ambitions” of the United States and Israel, urging other countries to recognize Iran’s right to defend itself.
“We have never accepted the language of force,” he said. “Our message is clear: respect, justice, and balance must define international relations.”
The 12-day conflict ended on June 24 after a US-brokered ceasefire, but global alarm over Tehran’s nuclear program deepened as 400 kilograms of Iran’s highly enriched uranium remained unaccounted for.
Tehran says the material lies buried beneath debris from US and Israeli airstrikes, rendering it unreachable, yet it has so far refused to grant international inspectors access to the damaged sites.
