Iran's Foreign Ministry Strongly Condemns 'Interventionist' Remarks by Tillerson

The spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry described U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's comments regarding U.S. support for a peaceful transition in the Islamic Republic as 'unacceptable,' 'immature and ill-considered,' 'interventionist,' and a 'clear violation of peremptory norms of international law,' and condemned them 'strongly.' According to the state news agency IRNA, Bahram Qasemi stated on Thursday, June 15, that 'confusion, susceptibility to inappropriate insinuations, and reality avoidance are prominent features of the new U.S. administration's foreign policy, as evidenced in the recent statements of this American official.' Qasemi accused the U.S. of pursuing a regime change policy against the Islamic Republic 'continuously and officially' over the past three decades, leading to 'global failure and shame.' He emphasized that attempts to 'create a rift in the Islamic Republic's governance' are 'wishful thinking' expressed in the U.S. Secretary of State's remarks, which 'like the past four decades will lead nowhere.' He also referred to instances such as presidential elections and what he termed the 'resistance' of the Iranian people against Western sanctions, adding that 'these baseless and delusional remarks are rejected and despised among all segments of the resilient and cultured Iranian society.' On Wednesday, June 14, Rex Tillerson stated in a House Foreign Affairs Committee meeting that U.S. policy supports 'elements within Iran that lead to a peaceful transfer of power in the country.' He also labeled Iran as a source of 'instability' in the region and stressed that 'the U.S. has acted against Iranian hegemony.' Previously, President Donald Trump had stated that the Iranian regime poses a threat to the entire region. In response to these remarks, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson asserted that the only way to 'understand and correctly grasp the realities' of Iran and the region is to 'shorten the ineffective threats and refrain from interference in the internal affairs of Iran and other regional countries, and to adopt a realistic, logical, rational, and non-emotional approach to developments.' He stressed that 'sustainable security and stability go beyond exploitation and milking the countries of the region and require thought, understanding, and wisdom.' Iranian officials have previously criticized Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia and the agreements signed during that trip, describing it with phrases like 'milking the cash cow.' Sadeq Larijani, the head of the judiciary, and some other Iranian officials have also interpreted this trip as a sign of U.S. 'support' for those responsible for the attacks on the parliament and the tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini in Tehran. Verbal threats from Iranian and U.S. officials have increased since Trump's presidency. Meanwhile, on Thursday, Yadollah Javani, senior advisor to the Supreme Leader's representative in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and former political deputy of this institution, without directly referencing Tillerson's remarks, stated that 'the Americans are seeking to create the groundwork for entering into war with the Islamic Republic of Iran through pressure.' The day before, Yahya Rahim Safavi, a military advisor to the Supreme Leader, had threatened that in the event of a U.S. attack on Iran, 'all of this country's military bases in the region will become unsafe,' and that Iranian missiles could cover a range of up to two thousand kilometers.