Alwaght- Iran needs to punish the Israeli regime for its aggression against its diplomatic mission in Syria, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock in a phone conversation.
"When the Israeli regime violates international law and the Vienna Conventions, endangering the immunity of individuals and diplomatic places, legitimate defense with the aim of punishing the aggressor is a necessity," he said.
He was referring to the Israeli airstrike on Iran embassy's consular section in Damascus on April 1 that killed 11 Iranians including 7 IRGC personal, among them two commanders.
Iran has pledged retaliation for the attack and said that the Israeli crime will not go unanswered.
Amir-Abdollahian questioned the Western double standards in dealing with international developments, saying that the West needs to make it clear that it seriously cares about international security.
"If a similar missile attack had taken place on one of the diplomatic places in the war zone in Ukraine, would the reaction of the United States and Europe have been the same?" he said.
Amir-Abdollahian addressed Baerbock's remarks about the need for a ceasefire in the Gaza war and the failure of efforts to halt the Israeli invasion of the besieged Palestinian territory.
"The reason why Germany's efforts to establish a ceasefire in Gaza have been fruitless should be found in the lack of German neutrality in this genocide," the Iranian minister said.
"Israel is an occupying regime and Palestine has the right to legitimate defense. In this regard, the only way to solve the current problems is to end the genocide and war crimes in Gaza," he added.
His remarks eched the promise by the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei who vowed to punish Tel Aviv for its crime against the diplomatic mission.
Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks during a speech at Imam Khomeini’s Grand Mosalla in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Wednesday after leading the Eid al-Fitr prayers, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
The Leader pointed to the Israeli missile attack on the consular section of the Iranian Embassy in the Syrian capital of Damascus on April 1.
Ayatollah Khamenei said, “the evil Zionist regime committed another mistake ... and that was the attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria. The consulate and diplomatic missions in any country are considered to be the territory of that country. When they attack our consulate, it means they have attacked our soil."
“The evil regime made a mistake and must be punished and will be punished,” the Leader stressed.
