NNA - Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian says the United States was informed about Tehran’s decision to punish the Israeli regime and after the operation ‘True Promise’ was accomplished with strikes on Israeli targets in the occupied territories.

We sent a message to the United States telling it about the operation and another message in the early morning of Sunday that we are not looking for further tension in the region, Amirabdollahian responded to a question from IRNA reporter upon the arrival in New York to attend a UN Security Council meeting.

Since the Israeli regime directly targeted the Iranian embassy in Damascus in a terrorist act, which martyred our official military advisers in Syria, we had been restraining ourselves considering the regional conditions but repeatedly asked the UN Secretary General that the Security Council should fulfill its duty to confront the Israel actions, he said.

But we informed America when the decision was taken for necessary response to the Israeli regime within the framework of international law and legitimate defense, the top diplomat revealed.

"We told the Americans in messages clearly that the decision taken by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council headed by the president to punish the Zionist regime was definite and final and after the punitive action (Operation True Promise), approximately at 2:30 am on Sunday of this week, we sent another message to the United States through diplomatic channels mentioning that we are not looking for the escalation of tension in the region”, Amirabdollahian explained.

Iran's foreign minister also stated that the US was informed well in advance that American bases and interests would not be targeted in the region, unless Washington wages a war in support of the Zionist regime.

The messages were exchanged especially through the Switzerland Embassy which represents US interests in Iran, and also official diplomatic channels, with the aim of creating a correct understanding of Iran's action and in order to prevent the escalation of tension and crisis in the region, he said.

In response to a reporter about the purpose of his visit to New York, the top Iranian diplomat said he will be attending the UN Security Council meeting on Thursday which is convened to examine developments in West Asia, with major focus on Palestine.

Amirabdollahian said the UN meeting is an opportunity to explain the views of the Islamic Republic of Iran in line with the necessity of establishing stable peace and security in the region.

At the same time, using the opportunity to meet with the UN Secretary General and other foreign counterparts as well as heads of international organizations, I will discuss ways to stop the war in Gaza send extensive humanitarian aid and other issues related to Palestine and the security of the region, he said. ----IRNA

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