Iran rejects European mediation, claims right to hit back

Tehran [Iran], August 14: Iran on Tuesday rejected European attempts at mediation amid rising tensions in the Middle East, as Tehran insisted on its right to launch a retaliatory strike on Israel.
"These calls are politically one-sided and illogical, as they encourage a regime [Israel] to commit even more crimes in the region," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani in Tehran.
Iran does not need advice or permission from abroad to defend its security and territorial integrity, the spokesman said in a statement. European leaders such as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have called on Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to prevent a further military escalation in the Middle East.
Pezeshkian reportedly told the trio that Israel was to blame for the recent crisis and needed to be punished. In order to seriously prevent an escalation, he argued, the West should condemn the Israeli government and stop ignoring what he called war crimes.
The Middle East has been hovering on the brink of a regional conflagration since the targeted killing of two leading Israeli opponents two weeks ago. In response, Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia announced they would launch massive retaliatory strikes against Israel.
Source: Qatar Tribune