Key facts
- European countries hosting US military bases or aiding US attacks could be considered "complicit in aggression," Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned.
- Araghchi linked rising global fuel and commodity prices to the US-Israel war on Iran.
- Iran warned Cyprus and Bulgaria against allowing their territory to be used for attacks against the Islamic Republic.
- Araghchi stated that any country permitting its soil to be used for hostile purposes against Iran would be regarded as complicit.
- Bulgaria's parliament approved a government proposal to allow the US military to use an air base to support operations in West Asia.
- Araghchi told UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper that allowing US military operations from UK bases would be "recorded in the history of bilateral relations."
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi issued a stern warning on Tuesday, stating that European nations hosting US military bases or facilitating US attacks could be deemed "complicit in aggression." The remarks were made during a meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Araghchi asserted that current global fuel and commodity price hikes are a direct consequence of the US-Israel war against Iran.
According to a statement from Iran's Foreign Ministry, Araghchi also cautioned about the "dangerous consequences" of what he described as the normalization of "law-breaking and aggressive US unilateralism" for the rule of law.
Earlier, Iran had warned Cyprus and Bulgaria against allowing the US to utilize military facilities on their soil for operations targeting the Islamic Republic. During separate phone calls, Araghchi urged Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos to ensure that foreign military bases on the island are not used for aggression against Iran. He similarly pressed Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova-Chamova to reconsider Bulgaria's decision to permit US military aircraft to use a Bulgarian air base for operations in West Asia. Iran's ministry stated that any country allowing its territory to be used for hostile actions against Iran would be considered a participant in such aggression.
In a similar vein, Araghchi informed UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper that granting the US access to British military bases for operations would be considered "participation in aggression" and would be "recorded in the history of bilateral relations." Iran has previously cautioned Gulf Arab states against allowing US forces to launch attacks from their territories, warning it could make them parties to the conflict. Iran claims it was attacked for a second time while engaged in diplomatic efforts, resulting in the deaths of over 170 elementary school students.