Tehran: Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed on Wednesday that there was no prior exchange of messages with the United States before Iran launched a missile attack on Israel.
On Tuesday, Iran fired a series of missiles at Israel in retaliation for the recent killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Revolutionary Guards commander Abbas Nilforoushan in an attack in Beirut last week. This strike also came in response to the death of Palestinian Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in a July operation in Tehran, widely attributed to Israel.
"Before the attack, there was no exchange of messages," Araghchi told state television. He noted that Iran did communicate with the U.S. after the attack through the Swiss embassy in Tehran.
"The main point of the message we conveyed to the Americans was that we were taking defensive action within the framework of the United Nations Charter," he said. He also warned U.S. forces to stay out of the situation, stating that any intervention could lead to a strong response from Iran.
Araghchi clarified that Iran had informed the U.S. that the "operation is over and we do not intend to continue."
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards reported that the missile strikes targeted "three military bases" near Tel Aviv, along with air and radar installations, claiming that "90 percent" of the missiles successfully hit their targets.
This missile attack marks Iran's second direct strike on Israel, following a missile and drone assault in April, which was in response to a deadly Israeli airstrike on Iran's consulate in Damascus.
Araghchi emphasized that Iran's actions were concluded unless Israel chose to provoke further retaliation, warning of a "crushing" response should Israel retaliate.
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