"We had to fight back": Iran official defends Hormuz closure, says "not happy" with what's happening with india and others

Iran defended its decision to close the Strait of Hormuz while expressing regret over the impact on India with Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei saying that Tehran was forced to act after attacks by the United States and Israel using bases in the Persian Gulf regionBaghaei in an interview with India Today called the US and Israel aggressors arguing that Irans actions were consistent with international law and insisted that the disruption to global trade and energy routes was triggered by Washington and Tel Aviv not TehranAgain you have to see what happened on 28 February Before that the Strait of Hormuz was open and free to every country Iran was forced to take certain measures under international law and I have to stress this what Iran did is allowed under international law because we had to face aggressors the United States and Israel who were abusing the soil of other Persian Gulf states to attack Iran That was absolutely unlawful It was an act of aggression Baghaei saidBaghaei said that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz was not Irans faultSo we had to fight back We had to take measures in order to prevent these aggressors from abusing this water lane for conducting military aggression against Iran It was not Irans fault he saidThe Iranian official further claimed that the Persian Country showed some flexibility laterAfter we showed certain flexibility you remember after Minister Araghchi issued that tweet saying the Strait of Hormuz would be open the President of the United States immediately said Thank you Iran for reopening the Strait of Hormuz but we are going to continue our blockade he saidEsmaeil Baghaei said that Iran is not happy to see that India is affected by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz but it is caused by the US and IsraelWe are not happy about what is happening in India and other countries but this was caused by the United States and Israel Iran depends on this strait more than many other countries because we are a coastal state We want to see security and safety in this water lane But the problem is that the United States and Israel initiated this war of aggression and inflicted these consequences on the whole economy They have to be held accountable by the international community for what they started and are still continuing he saidBaghaei said that Iran and India have many historical commonalities and have always maintained good diplomatic tiesWe have very good bilateral relations with India Iran and India have many historical commonalities and have always maintained good diplomatic ties What is happening in our region as I said is part of the consequences of the war imposed on Iran and the region I think India recognises the fact that Iran a sovereign member of the United Nations has been unjustly attacked by two nucleararmed regimes No one can ignore these very clear facts he saidHe said that Irans relations with other countries have never been directed against IndiaWhen it comes to Indias bilateral relations with other countries it is up to India to decide Our relations with other countries have never been directed against India and this is part of the basic principles of international law no bilateral relationship should be against a third country he saidSo our relations with India are based on mutual respect and mutual interests and we are looking forward to continuing these healthy relations he addedBaghaei said that Irans Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi plans to attend the BRICS Foreign Ministers meeting in DelhiWe plan to I know that Minister Araghchi plans to attend this important meeting Iran and India are both members of BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and I understand that we have a good level of cooperation and coordination in both organisations he saidThe meeting is important for us and we are looking forward to having bilateral meetings with other ministers participating in this event including of course the Foreign Minister of India as the host he addedThe BRICS Foreign Ministers meeting is slated to be held from May 14 to 15This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever