Iran Has Inherent, Legitimate Right to Defend, Says Diplomat

Iran has is an “inherent and legitimate right” to defend itself in face of aggression, the country’s consul general in Mumbai said on Friday. The diplomat’s remarks came a day after an Iranian commander said Tehran has its 'fingers on the trigger' to target Israeli nuclear installations, amid the current conflict between the two nations.

“We believe that if there would be any attack to our national territory anywhere, to our nuclear facility, it is an inherent (and) legitimate right of Iran to defend itself,” said Rezaei Eskandari, Iran’s consul general in Mumbai.

“And this is what we did last week,” he said, in an apparent reference to Iranian attacks in response to a presumed Israeli airstrike on April 1 that destroyed a building in Iran's embassy compound in Damascus and killed several Iranian officers including a top general.

He said Iran has “very good relations” with India. “We believe that we have a very good relationship with India. We don't find this relationship affected by other issues,” he said.

“You know, historically speaking, India has a very good image of being a neutral country. I think is an important asset for India,” he said.