Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said bases and facilities used in military attacks against Iran could be targeted.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Baghaei said countries that allowed their bases, capabilities or military assets to be used in actions against Iran should take the necessary steps.
“No country has any reason to be concerned about us. However, the situation is different for countries that open their bases, capabilities and equipment to use in unlawful actions carried out by the aggressor parties,” he said.
Claims about Bulgaria and refueling aircraft
The Iranian spokesperson argued that Bulgaria’s support for US and Israeli military attacks against Iran violated international law. Baghaei said they had received reports that some American KC-135 refueling aircraft had taken off from Bulgaria.
Baghaei said they had no issue with the Bulgarian people and stated that the move amounted to support for a military attack against Iran.
Baghaei said Iran had the right to target the starting point and source of any attack directed against it, arguing that this right was grounded in international law.
Response to sanctions and the naval blockade
Criticizing the US economic pressure on Iran, Baghaei described Washington’s policy of punishing the Iranian people as “outright economic terrorism.”
Baghaei said the naval blockade imposed on Iran was also an act of aggression and warned that countries supporting the US’s unlawful practices could face serious consequences.
Baghaei said Iran would leverage its relations with its allies against US economic sanctions. He argued that Washington’s efforts to force countries to suspend or reduce their trade relations with Iran violated international law and the principle of state sovereignty.
Trump announces harsh sanctions
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that the harshest economic sanctions would be imposed on Iran. Trump also urged other countries, including China, to pressure Tehran and said countries providing any kind of support to Iran would face severe economic consequences.
Developments in Iran-US tensions
The US and Israel began attacks against Iran on February 28. Iran also carried out attacks against Israel and American targets in the region, and the parties reached a ceasefire agreement in April.
Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz on June 18. However, disputes over the strait’s security hindered implementation of the memorandum.
The US resumed its attacks against Iran between July 8 and 24. Iran, meanwhile, struck targets it identified as American military facilities and equipment in Arab countries.
