Iran warns European countries they will face consequences for remaining silent about the US-Israeli offensive against Iran, which Tehran calls a violation of international law.
Iran Accuses US and Israel of Violating International Law
On the sixth day of war, the United States and Israel conducted further attacks on Tehran and Beirut. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Bagaei told Spanish public broadcaster TVE that the US-Israeli offensive against Iran “violates international law.” He warned that European Union countries “will pay” if they continue to remain silent about the war.
Iran’s Position on Regional Relations
The spokesperson emphasized that Iran wants to maintain good relations with Arab countries in the region and does not intentionally attack any of them. He stated, “The problem is that these territories are being used by the United States to prepare logistics and to launch missiles toward Iran.”
Spain’s Stance and Trump’s Reaction
On Wednesday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated that his country opposes the US and Israeli attack on Iran and considers it a violation of international law. Previously, Iran’s ambassador to Madrid, Reza Zabib, said he “appreciates the Spanish government’s reaction to the aggression.” President Donald Trump criticized Spain’s position on Tuesday, including its refusal to allow US military bases in the south of the country to be used during the attack on Iran, threatening to break trade relations with Madrid.
Rocket Incident and Turkish Airspace
Iran denied firing a rocket toward Turkey. The spokesperson repeated Tehran’s denial that the missile intercepted in Turkish airspace was not launched from Iran. The incident occurred on Wednesday, March 4. Turkey reported that NATO’s air defense destroyed an Iranian ballistic missile aimed at Turkish airspace. If Ankara deemed the violation of its airspace a sufficiently serious threat, it could invoke Article 4 of NATO, potentially leading to the activation of Article 5, which obliges members to defend allies.
Turkish Authorities: “We Were Not the Target”
A Turkish official told AFP that Turkey “was not the target of the missile” fired from Iran. “We believe it was heading for a military base in Cyprus but went off course,” the official added. The United States has air forces stationed in southern Turkey at the Incirlik base, located in a region adjacent to Hatay province where the intercepted rocket’s debris fell. However, according to Ankara, the United States did not use the Incirlik base during the aerial attack on Iran.
How the Decision to Attack Was Made
Everything began on a golf course. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham revealed how he convinced President Donald Trump to attack Iran. “There was a real fight to prevent this,” Politico quoted him as saying.