“When someone declares that they want to exterminate you, you have to take it seriously… We have a responsibility. I think we are not the only ones who have that responsibility. We are expecting support. We are enjoying very good coordination. We are in sync with our American friends. And I hope that through this joint effort, Iran will understand that it must abandon this course of action,” Azar said.
He added that former US President Donald Trump and other key figures were kept informed of Israel’s actions. “They understand very well that Iran was manipulating the situation—stalling for time while fast-tracking its weaponisation programme. That’s why we had to take action,” he said.
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Azar also commented on India’s approach to the conflict. “We are not involved in India’s conflicts, and India is not involved in the conflicts of the Middle East—and that’s okay. We will continue to foster this relationship. I think it serves both countries,” he said.
Israel launched strikes on Tehran early Friday, targeting parts of Iran’s nuclear programme and reportedly killing at least two senior military officers. The operation is seen as the most serious attack on Iran since the 1980s war with Iraq. Multiple sites were struck, including Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility, where thick smoke was seen rising.
The attacks come amid growing tensions over Iran’s advancing nuclear programme. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned of “severe punishment” in response to the strikes.
Azar said Israel had acted to prevent its own destruction and was prepared for further escalation. “We know that Iran has repeatedly declared that they want to destroy the State of Israel — that they need to remove this so-called cancerous tumour. They have been acting on three tracks to destroy us: creating a nuclear weapon, building a huge arsenal of ballistic missiles — we know they were intending to build 10,000 ballistic missiles in the next three years and 20,000 in six years. Now, we are a country half the size of Haryana — you know, the size of Mizoram or Meghalaya — and such a barrage of ballistic missiles, each carrying one tonne of TNT, is devastating. So, we had to act to remove the possibility that they would attack us with a nuclear weapon,” he said.
On Iran’s threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, Azar said, “Israel is first of all acting to defend itself. We cannot, as an international community, allow rogue elements to be equipped with nuclear weapons. So, Israel, by defending itself, is actually doing a major service to the world.”
He added that Israel would act again if Iran retaliated. “We have declared that if Iran retaliates, we will be free to respond again. So yes, you could see this continue. The Iranians have invested tens of billions of dollars, even more, in building this monstrous genocidal capability. We have the responsibility to prevent it, remove it, neutralise it.”