During a press conference in the capital, Baghaei asserted that Tehran would resort to whatever defensive or diplomatic measures it deems necessary, depending on the circumstances.

  The spokesman also criticized statements by US President Donald Trump linking a potential civil nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia to Riyadh’s adherence to the Abraham Accords.

  Regarding the deployment of US aerial refueling aircraft at the Bezmer airbase in Bulgaria, he warned that this move could make Sofia a “partner” in any attack by the United States or Israel against Iran.

  The diplomat also accused France of interfering in Iran’s internal affairs under the guise of supporting civil society, maintaining that the activities of two French diplomats detained by Tehran violated the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

  Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, Baghaei described consultations held with an Omani delegation concerning the regulation of navigation in that waterway as positive; he noted that there are currently no negotiations with the United States and that the strait remains closed to maritime traffic.

  Referring to the attack on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea, he accused Ukraine of attempting to curry favor with its “true masters” and described the United States, Israel, and Ukraine as an “axis of evil.”

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