VIDEO: Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson: “This is a war of self-defence”

SARAH FERGUSON:  Iran's leaders say the Islamic republic will not surrender, and have pledged to continue fighting until attacks on its territory stop.

Esmaeil Baghaei is a spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry and a deputy foreign minister. He joins me now from Tehran.

Esmaeil Baghaei, welcome to 7.30. 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI, IRANIAN FOREIGN SPOKESPERSON:  Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. 

SARAH FERGUSON:  Now, Iran hit a very large LNG plant in Qatar, one that is vital to world energy supplies, not in the United States, not in Israel, but in a neighbouring gulf country. Are you trying to make the entire world suffer to put pressure on America? 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI:  I think your question is biased. Why am I saying so? Because you forget about the fact that this was not a war of choice by the Iranians. This war is imposed on Iran first. 

Secondly, the United States and Israel have been attacking our infrastructures. We didn't start this war nor did we start attacking infrastructure. 

Third, we have made it clear that if you attack our infrastructure, we target any infrastructure that is related to the United States. We are not attacking our neighbours. This is not in our interest to become hostile to our neighbours in the Persian Gulf region. 

We are attacking only the military bases, the United States assets that are being used to attack Iran. We are exercising our inherent right of self-defence. 

SARAH FERGUSON:  But you attacked an LNG plant that belongs to Qatar. How is that a justifiable target, attacking a country that is not attacking you in the last 36 hours? 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI:  When did we do that, ma'am? We did it after South Pars LNG infrastructure in  Iran was attacked by the United States and Israel. 

The United States tried to distance themselves from this attack saying that Israel did it out of their rage against Iran but we do not distinguish between the aggressors. 

This is an aggression by the United States and Israel against Iran and they are abusing the territories, the soil and the installations that are scattered around Iran in the Persian Gulf countries. 

You know they are using their military bases in the Persian Gulf countries to target Iranian institutions. They exploded these ammunition plant in Kashmir land, using the territory of one of our neighbouring countries in the Persian Gulf. 

So if you are concerned about the groceries, the price of oil, we are concerned about the life of our citizens. 175 innocent kids were killed during the first hours of the act on 28th February. So if the Western people are concerned about this war, they have to blame the United States and Israel. Did we start this war? No. 

SARAH FERGUSON:  But that is my question to you. You say that this war, the war of the United States and Israel is an illegal war. But by attacking countries like Qatar, like Saudi Arabia who did not attack you, you are also behaving illegally, aren't you? 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI:  No. Why not? Because we are defending ourselves against those military bases, those military assets that are being used, those military bases are located in this Persian Gulf country. 

Please remember that President Trump himself admitted to that when he said our plane tankers were hit, five of them that were located in a base in Saudi Arabia. They are telling everyone, and I think this is known reason for documenting that. It's very clear that they are using their military bases that are located in the Persian Gulf countries to attack Iran. 

I'm not saying that our neighbours have the intention to harm Iran, but the fact of the matter is that the United States is abusing those installations, those radar systems, those logistical support to attack Iran. 

And under international law, no country is allowed to let its territory be abused by others for attacking another state. 

SARAH FERGUSON:  Well, didn't Iran put itself outside of the protection of international law by slaughtering thousands of its citizens whose only crime was to demonstrate against repression in Iran? 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI:  You are changing the subject, but that's fine. At the same time that we are facing an illegal war by the United States and Israel, we have to face a demonisation campaign, ma’am.

This a vicious disinformation and misinformation campaign directed against Iranians. We have made it clear that it was first a peaceful protest turned violent by the infiltrators, by the United States and Israel agents that infiltrated in the peaceful protestors. 

So they committed a big crime by doing that and their aim was to destabilise the country. Yes, every one single precious lives matters to us because they were Iranians. 

3,170 people were killed. 2,400 of them were regarded as martyrs because they were either police officers or the innocent bystanders. So they tried to amplify this number and please remember that the first days of this peaceful protest, President of the United States came out and said, if there are number of those who are killed are high, we would intervene. So it was provocative. It was a call for more violence against Iranians. 

SARAH FERGUSON:  Is Iran prepared to make any concessions to end this war? 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI:  What kind of concession do you mean? We are under constant attack. They are killing our people. They are sending missiles, their fighter jets, everything against Iranians. So right now, as a proud nation, as a civilizational state, we are 100 focused, 100 per cent focused on defending our people, our territorial integrity against this brutal war of aggression. 

SARAH FERGUSON:  You talk about defence, but you haven't yet explained how it is an act of defence to carry out an attack on the energy infrastructure of a Gulf neighbour. 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI:  And I think you do not want to recognise the fact that yesterday the United States and Israel attacked our infrastructure. 

You do not want to recognise the fact that during the first days, during the first hours of 28th February, they attacked an elementary school killing 175. We are noble people. We have exercised maximum self-restraint. 

Did we attack their schools? Did we attack their hospitals? Did we attack their Red Crescent Society buildings? No. We made it clear that if our infrastructure is attacked, we would fight back. We would target those installations that are related to the United States and in every infrastructure in the region, the United States has some shares. 

So we didn't start this, we do not like to continue like that, but this is the United States and Israel war of choice. They have …

SARAH FERGUSON:  To be clear. Is it Iran's intention to continue strikes on the infrastructure of its Gulf neighbours? 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI:  As I said, we have never started this war. We have not hit any infrastructure in the region. 

We were forced to do that after the United States and Israel attacked our infrastructure yesterday. So our armed forces are very careful only to target those military assets that are being used to attack Iran. 

And this is in accordance with the rules of international law. Please remember that we are noble people. We are fighting in accordance with IHL International Humanitarian Law. We have never said no mercy, no court. This is what Secretary of War of the United States said. And you know, by saying no quarters, it is by itself the mens rea, the expression of intention of committing war crimes.

SARAH FERGUSON:  I want to ask you questions about, some questions about the decapitation strikes, the assassinations that Israel has carried out in Iran. Is Iran serious about retaliation for those attacks against the leaders of both United States and Israel? 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI:  What do you expect Iranians to do? So this is a nasty war. This is unprecedented. This is not a conventional classical warfare between two-armed forces. 

This is a combination of military aggression and terrorist acts. And I think we are moving towards a very dark era. If the Western countries, if the public opinion continue to remain indifferent, now they have control over the know-how to kill and I'm not sure that in the future others would not have this know-how to kill others. 

So the leaders of another country, assassinating them through terrorist activities must be alarming to the whole international community. It should not be underestimated as part of warfare. This is not. So the Iranians are determined.  

SARAH FERGUSON:  Yes. Forgive me for interrupting, but does Iran intend to retaliate against the leaders of the United States and Israel for the decapitation, for the killing of a large number of Iranian leaders including your former Ayatollah Khomeini? 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI: Iranian armed forces are determined, are willing and capable of defending our country, defending our sovereignty with all might. 

And you know the leaders of any country are symbols of the sovereignty of that nation. So, what the United States and Israel are doing are violating the basic tenets of international law and this is part of their demonization project by simply labelling a country, labelling their leaders bad names and then assassinating them. 

This is against all the principles that the international community have been calling for the past eight decades. So we are going backward pre-World War I. 

SARAH FERGUSON:  Let me ask you a question about Australia. We sent a long-range reconnaissance aircraft to assist the United Arab Emirates in the defence of that country against attacks from Iran. Given what you said about your previous targeting, do you now regard Australia and its military assets as targets? 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI:  We have no problem with the Australian people. And if you remember when the government of Australia decided to cut diplomatic relation or reduce the level of diplomatic relation, we said we are sorry for the thing. There is no reasonable ground to do that. 

Now the point is that the government of Australia has decided to take side with the aggressors. We cannot recognise, we cannot distinguish between offensive and defensive operation. 

What Australian government is doing is taking side with the aggressors against Iran and we do not regard this euphemism, these wordings as defending against Iranians attacks, Israel attack in country. 

We are exercising self-defence and any obstruction of our right to self-defence would be regarding as taking side with aggressors. 

SARAH FERGUSON:  So, you regard Australian military assets, first of all in the Gulf as legitimate targets for Iran. 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI:  As I said, we have the right, we have the inherent right to self-defence against offensive or defensive operation against us. We cannot recognise that those military assets that are being deployed to intercept are missiles or drones against the aggressors would be regarded simply as defensive. That's going to be part of this aggression. 

SARAH FERGUSON:  And in the case of Australia, it was a long-range reconnaissance aircraft. It will obviously be operating a long way from Iran; however, you regard Australians based in the Gulf as legitimate targets. We have Australians at the base in the UAE. You regard that as a legitimate target. 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI:  I think it is very regrettable that the Australian government has decided to be on the wrong side of history by taking side with the blatant aggressors against Iran. And this is in line with what Australian officials see in order to take our footballers hostage in their country. That was against FIFA rules as well. 

SARAH FERGUSON:  Let me talk about the footballers. First of all, those members of the Iranian women's football team who initially sought asylum in Australia were granted asylum. Five of those …. 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI:  They didn’t seek, ma'am. They didn't seek asylum. They didn't seek asylum. They were forced to. They were coerced to as asylum. They didn't do it voluntarily. 

SARAH FERGUSON:  If you're going to say something as outrageous as that, I'd like you to give us some evidence of an assertion that says that the Australian Government forced or took hostage or in any way coerced those women into seeking asylum. It was a free choice on their part, and one can only assume they must have had some justification for doing so. What is your evidence they were coerced?

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI:  They were coerced. I quote their coach. When they first they were invited to go to a room under the pretext of clarifying the doping or something like that and then they put a paper beside them, please sign these papers. You can be given asylum, you can be given all what you need and then the Australian minister posts for a photo of with them. 

You see this was a shameful sham posture. At the same time that the military of the United States and Israel are killing innocent girls in the city of Minab, our football members, ladies are forced to ask for asylum. And you know…

SARAH FERGUSON:  Let me ask you this. 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI:  Except for two of them went back to Iran. 

SARAH FERGUSON:  So of the two who remain in Australia, are you saying they are being kept here against their will? 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI:  I guess so. 

SARAH FERGUSON:  And of the five women who reversed their decision and went home, can you guarantee that they and their families have not been pressured to secure that decision? 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI:  100 per cent. Iranians are patriotic people. We are proud of them and all of them decided to come back to Iran voluntarily, ma'am. 

SARAH FERGUSON:  Now there was reports at the time that these decisions were being made that there was influence being exercised on those women perhaps via members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard. Were there members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard travelling with the football team? 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI:  No. This is simply untrue, this is part of that cliche, that negative stereotyping inform the mindset of the Western media about Iran. That's simply untrue. 

SARAH FERGUSON:  Let me just say this in asking that question and my basis for it, we have seen how the regime treats its opponents, we've seen... 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI: Please don't call my government regime please. 

SARAH FERGUSON:  The government has been responsible for the mistreatment, the brutal mistreatment of its opponents over a long period of time. Beatings, torture, imprisonment, death. Why would anyone believe for a moment that this government was not one that put pressure on those women to return to Iran? 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI:  Why should anyone believe the government of Australia who has been withstanding the long-term, what you call it, asylum seeking by many nationals? They have sent them to Papua New Guinea; they have mistreated them. 

Why should anyone be in the government of Australia that has already concocted the lie that was the basis of cutting or reducing diplomatic relations with Iran. And everyone knows that what they accused Iran of was simply a big lie about antisemitism. That was their claim when they decided to cut diplomatic relations with Iran. So don't have enough is part of the propaganda. 

SARAH FERGUSON: Forgive me, forgive me, Esmaeil Baghaei. We don't have time to revisit the decision, the Australian government's decision, legitimate decision to expel members of the Iranian diplomatic community here …

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI:  Okay, that is fine. That is their choice. If that was their decision …

SARAH FERGUSON:  …because of the activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp. 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI:  …we have the right to make our own legitimate decision as well. 

SARAH FERGUSON:  I just want to finish on a final broader question if I may. Everybody in the world has to take a step back now to avoid this conflict, this terrible conflict which has cost the lives of innocent people in Iran too, spiralling into something larger. What would it take for Iran to renounce its policy calling for the annihilation of Israel? 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI: Ma'am, this is a war based on lies. Look what the United States said in the first place. They said we had to intervene because there was an imminent threat from Iran and then immediately after that, Pentagon said that there was no imminent threat from Iran. 

Then they talked about Iran's nuclear weapon. Everyone knows that we do not seek nuclear weapons. Our nuclear program, as they claim was obliterated in June. 

So this is all about lies and it is not Iran that has launched this attack against Israel and the United States. Please do not try to reverse the facts. It is the United States and Israel that have attacked against Iran and talk about the annihilation of Israel. They are attacking us. They are killing our leaders. They are killing our innocent girls and boys. 

So please, let's call a spade a spade and an illegal war imposed on Iran, imposed on the whole region and has consequences for the whole international community. We understand that you are concerned about the groceries price, but we are concerned about the everyday lives of our citizens. They are being killed and maimed by the United States and Israels missiles and bombs. 

SARAH FERGUSON:  We're going to have to wrap up there. I will note that you have said Australia is a potential target for Iran and you have accused an Australian minister of taking Iranian female football players hostage. 

Just to wrap up our conversation, but I appreciate the time and the trouble you've taken after a week of trying to contact you. Thank you, Esmaeil Baghaei for joining us. 

ESMAEIL BAGHAEI: Thank you. I appreciate it.