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Iran’s Foreign Ministry defends retaliatory strikes, slams US betrayal
| USA | world | ✓ Verified - aljazeera.com

Iran’s Foreign Ministry defends retaliatory strikes, slams US betrayal

#Iran #US-Israel attacks #Retaliatory strikes #International law #Nuclear negotiations #Regional conflict #Esmaeil Baghaei

📌 Key Takeaways

  • Iran defends retaliatory strikes as legitimate defensive actions under international law
  • US and Israel attacks killed at least 201 people in Iranian cities including Tehran
  • Iran responded with missiles toward Israel and US military targets in multiple regional countries
  • Diplomatic nuclear negotiations were disrupted by the military actions
  • Baghaei argues US aggression threatens international law and the UN Charter

📖 Full Retelling

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei defended the country's retaliatory strikes against US targets across the region on Saturday, February 28, 2026, claiming they are legitimate defensive actions in response to major combat operations launched by the US and Israel that killed at least 201 people in Iranian cities including Tehran. The Iranian official emphasized that Iran has every right under international law and the UN Charter to defend itself with all might, stating that the country's armed forces are acting to protect national sovereignty against what he described as 'barbaric acts of aggression.' Iran responded to the US-Israeli attacks by firing missiles toward Israel and US military targets in multiple countries, including Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. Baghaei highlighted that these attacks came after a third round of indirect negotiations on Iran's nuclear program between the US and Iran had ended on Friday with apparent progress, only to be disrupted by military action. The spokesman noted this marked the second time in less than a year that diplomatic efforts were scuttled by an attack on Iran, following a 12-day war in June when Israel attacked despite US claims of commitment to diplomacy. Furthermore, Baghaei argued that the US 'launching an act of aggression against another member of the United Nations' threatens the international system and the UN Charter, while defending Iran's multi-country strikes as legitimate targets under international law against any location providing logistical support to aggressors.

🏷️ Themes

International Law, Regional Conflict, Diplomatic Relations

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Original Source
News Iran’s Foreign Ministry defends retaliatory strikes, slams US betrayal Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei says Iran’s attacks on US targets across the region are legitimate defensive actions. Listen to this article | 3 mins Published On 28 Feb 2026 28 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media Share Save Add Al Jazeera on Google Iran is entitled to defend itself from Israeli and US attacks, the spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stressed. “We have every right in accordance with international law, with the UN Charter, to defend ourselves with all might”, Esmaeil Baghaei said in an interview with Al Jazeera on Saturday. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 Scattered fires, damage seen across Israel as Iran retaliates list 2 of 3 Nine months after 12-day war, US, Israel seek to topple Iran’s leaders list 3 of 3 Suspected Iranian drone hits Bahrain high-rise building end of list The US and Israel launched a wave of attacks across multiple Iranian cities, including Tehran, on Saturday, in what US President Donald Trump described as “major combat operations”. At least 201 people have been killed, according to Iranian media, citing the Red Crescent. Iran responded by firing missiles towards Israel and US military targets in multiple countries, including Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Baghaei said the country’s armed forces “are defending national sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Iran against these barbaric acts of aggression”. The US-Israeli attacks came after a third round of indirect negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme between the US and Iran ended on Friday. “We were supposed to meet on Monday to talk about technical aspects of any possible deal on nuclear issue,” Baghaei said. “And the Americans themselves acknowledged that these negotiations went quite well. The mediator, foreign minister of Oman, qualified this round of negotiations as being of significant progress.” It was ...
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