by george dimitropoulos  & EuroNews
It’s published •update
The US-brokered ceasefire between Iran and Israel remains in place, but many questions remain as to what remains of Tehran’s nuclear programme amidst the controversy over the impact of the US strike on facilities.
Speaking to Euroneuz, Iranian ambassador to Iranian Greek ambassador Marek Hossein Gebzad, the crisis rallyed Iranian people and said the damage to nuclear sites from the US strike will be assessed by experts.
Gebzad said Iran believes in diplomacy, but emphasized that the situation has changed and decisions are being made with the protection of national interests in mind.
Diplomacy and self-protection
“The fundamental principles of Iran’s foreign policy remain diplomacy and negotiation,” he said. However, he noted that Iran is being forced to adjust its stance following the attack, which states that Israel and the US are showing.
The US pilot dropped several 30,000-pound bombs on two underground uranium enriched plants in Iran early Sunday, providing what American military leaders believe is a knockout blow to the nuclear program that Israel considers an existential threat.
Before we got involved, Israel had been blaming Iran for over a week, demanding intervention to complete the job. American sailors have reinforced their surprising mission by launching dozens of cruise missiles from submarines onto at least one nuclear site.
According to Iranian diplomats to Greece, these actions are a violation of Iran’s territorial sovereignty and grant the Islamic Republic the right to respond.
Damage to nuclear facilities
Gevzad argued that Iran’s nuclear program was used for peaceful purposes only and was severely damaged.
Once the infrastructure is safe, the extent of the damage has been assessed by Iranian experts, he said.
Despite tensions between Iran and the West, the ambassador emphasized the unity of the Iranian people.
In the same context, he strongly criticized Europe, but he not only failed to condemn the attack, but also accused him of supporting the invaders in some cases.
The Iranian ambassador praised Russia and China for condemning Israeli US strikes at Tehran’s nuclear site. Gedanz said this has a clear stance in support of Iran and will condemn its hostile actions.
Their support is “a key factor in maintaining international stability and peace,” he said.
The ambassador concluded by thanking the Iranian community residing in Greece.
He said Iranians in the diaspora are in solidarity with the Iranian people, government and military.
The relatively small Iranian diaspora lives in Greece, and most have arrived after the 1979 revolution or the subsequent Iran-Iraq war. In 2021, there were about 2,500 Iranians living in Greece.
