News - Middle East: The spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry has rejected as “baseless, unrealistic, and irrelevant” the recent claims made by the UK and Australia on the Islamic Republic.

On Friday, Esmaeil Baqaei called on the two countries to reconsider their policies and stop interfering in the internal affairs of the other countries and West Asia in violation of international law.

He made the remarks in response to the joint statement issued by Australia’s and British ministers earlier this week in which they criticized Iran’s retaliatory operations against Israel.  

Baqaei condemned the stance as "one-sided and biased", stressing that Iran’s operations “True Promise 1” and “True Promise 2” came in accordance with the country’s legitimate right to self-defense which is enshrined in the UN Charter.

The “True Promise 1 & 2” followed the attack on the consular section of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, and the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh who was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, respectively.

The spokesman also rejected the repeated claim that Iran has provided Russia with ballistic missiles, describing the accusation as part of the US and UK's scheme aimed to “securitize international relations” and “globalize” the Ukraine conflict.

He noted that even Ukraine’s president has denied the allegation.

Referring to the support given by the West, particularly the US, Britain and Australia, to Israel, the spokesman said the supporters of the occupying regime and its expansionist policies, which are “the main cause of instability in West Asia”, must be held accountable for their complicity in the “heinous” crimes committed in Gaza and the entire region.

He also called on Australia and the UK to stop “their fraudulent and instrumental” use of the human rights issue.

Referring to human rights abuses in the two countries’ asylum seekers’ detention centers and their support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Baqaei said the two countries are in no position to comment on the other countries’ human rights records.

Baqaei also dismissed the British and Australian accusations regarding Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.

He said, “Iran's nuclear activities and plans are taking place based on the technical and practical needs of the country, within the framework of Iran's obligations and legal rights as a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and according to the safeguards agreement, and under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency."

“According to the reports of the agency, it [Iran’s nuclear program] has never deviated from the peaceful path," he stressed.

Referring to the IAEA’s criticism of the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal, under which the US and UK will provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, and these countries' inaction on Israel's arsenal of weapons of mass destruction, the spokesman noted that their policies are “clear examples of their double standards” on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and their lack of concern about the international peace and stability.

Source: Press TV