In a social media post on X, Iranian foreign ministry official Esmail Baghaei defended Tehran’s recent military actions, saying they are a response to attacks originating from territories surrounding Iran. His comments come as the conflict triggered by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian soil continues to escalate and draw in other states across the Middle East.

According to him, “To those who insist on ignoring the rationale behind our defensive strikes on the U.S. military bases/assets in the region: Missiles are being launched at Iran from residential areas in the territory of neighbouring countries, and U.S. fighters are using the airspace of neighbouring states to attack Iran, all putting regional security at risk.”

Baghaei’s remarks echo a position repeatedly asserted by Iranian officials that recent strikes targeting U.S. and allied military sites are defensive in nature. The Iranian government claims these actions are aimed against military infrastructure used to launch attacks on Iranian territory, rather than being acts of aggression against neighbouring nations themselves.

In recent days, the crisis has spilled far beyond Iran’s borders. Iran has launched missiles and drones towards U.S.-linked bases and military installations in several Gulf states, including Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the UAE, in retaliation for what Tehran describes as attacks on its territory.

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At the same time, leaders in the Gulf have warned against further escalation. Saudi Arabia, for instance, has publicly cautioned Tehran not to strike its territory and conveyed that it reserves the right to defend itself, even as the kingdom says it prefers to seek diplomatic solutions.

Amid these developments, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian publicly apologized to neighboring countries for previous strikes and announced that Tehran would suspend attacks on neighbors unless they are directly used as launch points against Iran.

But Baghaei and other Iranian officials, including former parliament speaker Ali Larijani, have stressed that when attacks do originate from areas where U.S. forces operate or where Iran perceives an imminent threat, Tehran considers those actions justified and necessary for its own defense.