In one of the most powerful and direct statements to emerge from the ongoing conflict, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared on February 28, 2026, that Iran has no restrictions or limits when it comes to defending its sovereignty, sending a bold and unmistakable message to the United States, Israel, and the entire world.
“We have every right in accordance with international law, with the UN Charter, to defend ourselves with all might,” Araghchi said in a live interview with Al Jazeera, as explosions continued to rock multiple Iranian cities.
The Statement That Shook the World
The Foreign Minister’s remarks came just hours after the United States and Israel launched massive coordinated airstrikes across Iran, targeting military installations, government facilities, and what Washington described as nuclear-linked sites. Iran’s foreign ministry called the airstrikes a “gross violation” of its national sovereignty and vowed to respond decisively.
Araghchi also revealed that on Thursday, just two days before the strikes, Iranian negotiators had been sitting across the table from US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Geneva, actively working toward a nuclear deal. “A deal was at our reach,” the Foreign Minister said, adding that “we were able to address serious questions related to Iran’s nuclear program,” and expressing deep shock that Washington had chosen bombs over diplomacy.
Iran Writes to the United Nations
Iran did not limit its response to words alone. In a formal letter addressed to the United Nations Security Council and Secretary-General António Guterres, Araghchi wrote that the joint US-Israeli strikes constitute “a clear violation of Article 2(4) of the Charter of the United Nations and amount to open armed aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
He stated in the letter that Iran would “continue to exercise its right of self-defence decisively and without hesitation until the aggression ceases fully and unequivocally,” adding that the United States and Israel “shall bear full and direct responsibility for all ensuing consequences.”
Defending the Military Strikes on US Bases
Araghchi was equally firm in defending Iran’s retaliatory missile strikes on US military bases across the Middle East. He clarified that Iran was “attacking the Americans’ military bases in the region, and military installations and facilities, and this is only as an act of self-defense.” He also highlighted a devastating strike on a girls’ school in the southern city of Minab, where dozens of young students were killed, calling it proof of the aggression Iran was facing.
Regime Change Is “Mission Impossible”
On US President Donald Trump’s call for Iranians to overthrow their government, Araghchi responded firmly: “You cannot do regime change while millions of people are supporting the so-called regime.” He called it “mission impossible.”
Iran’s core position remains unchanged: its missile capabilities and its diplomacy are inseparable. Tehran believes that its military strength is what gives it leverage at the negotiating table, and it has no intention of giving that up.
