Iran is prepared to respond if the United States or Israel launches a nuclear attack against the country, Iranian Ambassador to Bangladesh Jalil Rahimi Jahanabadi has said, warning that another strike on Iran could take place at any moment.
Speaking at an exchange of views organised by the Iranian Embassy in Dhaka, the ambassador said negotiations mediated by Oman had been moving towards a breakthrough before the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran.
Responding to questions from journalists, he discussed Iran's position on the conflict, its nuclear programme, the Strait of Hormuz and Bangladesh's energy and shipping concerns.
The ambassador said the conflict had been ongoing for nine months and that the US had failed to achieve its objectives.
“The Omani foreign minister announced at night that the negotiations were moving towards success. But the next morning, the US and Israel attacked us. Our understanding is that the US and Israel do not understand the logic. They do not believe in democracy. For them, negotiations mean surrender,” he said.
He claimed that the objectives of the campaign against Iran included changing its political system, bringing opposition groups into the country from neighbouring states, destroying its missile capabilities and removing its uranium from the country.
“None of these objectives has been achieved. All US bases are now within the range of our attacks,” he said.
The ambassador further claimed that more than 450 Iranian civilians, including the country's supreme leader and military commanders, had been killed in the conflict.
He said the war marked the beginning of the end of US global dominance.
Predicting another round of fighting, he said negotiations might not produce a promising outcome, although Iran remained committed to dialogue.
“My prediction is that there will be another war. Negotiations may not be very promising. However, we believe in democracy and dialogue. What America failed to achieve through war, it now wants to secure at the negotiating table. We have prepared ourselves for another war, but we are also continuing honest negotiations through mediators,” he said.
Asked whether the US could launch a nuclear attack against Iran, the ambassador said Washington's past use of nuclear weapons meant such a possibility could not be ruled out.
“The US has a history of using nuclear weapons. So it could commit this crime again. America is now in a difficult position, and its global credibility is at risk. To save itself, it could commit any crime, including a nuclear attack,” he said.
Asked whether Iran considered the US or Israel its bigger adversary, he said Tehran did not distinguish between the two.
“We see no difference between America and Israel. In our view, Israel is a state of America. Israel determines US policy. Zionists control America's economy, security and culture,” he claimed.
Asked how Iran would prevent a nuclear attack, the ambassador said he did not see rationality in the US president's approach and therefore believed such an attack might not be preventable.
“But if such an attack takes place, we will give the US and Israel a strong response,” he said.
On the prospect of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the ambassador said Iran had discussed the issue with Oman and Qatar but had no immediate plans to restore access.
He said the strait would remain closed until the US lifted its blockade of Iran.
“We have told the US that we are prepared to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if it lifts the blockade, commits not to attack us again and accepts the conditions we have previously announced,” he said.
Safe passage for Bangladeshi ships
Asked how Iran would help countries such as Bangladesh, which depend on energy supplies passing through the Strait of Hormuz, if the conflict continued and the waterway remained closed, the ambassador said no country could be assisted in the Persian Gulf until the war ended.
However, he said Bangladeshi vessels could pass through the strait if they met two conditions: coordinating their movements with Iran and following routes designated by Tehran as safe.
“Ships are still moving through the strait every day. Those that come under attack or strike mines are travelling outside the routes designated by us. If they follow the designated routes and inform us, there will be no problem,” he said.
Asked whether any Bangladeshi fuel-carrying vessels had used the route, the ambassador said the information was available to the Bangladesh government.
“We keep records of vessel movements, but we do not want to disclose which country's ships are travelling for what purpose, so that misunderstandings do not arise between countries,” he said.
He added that patrols were still operating in the area and no Bangladeshi vessel had been attacked, which he said demonstrated that the arrangement was working.
