TEHRAN, July 24. /TASS/. Any country that takes part in the US aggression against Iran or facilitates strikes on the Islamic Republic will be considered a legitimate target for the Iranian Armed Forces, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said at a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states in Kyrgyzstan’s Cholpon-Ata.

"Iran reaffirms its unwavering determination to defend the country’s sovereignty, independency, and territorial integrity, and declares that any participation, cooperation or assistance in the aggression against Iran will lead to international responsibility for those involved," the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s Telegram channel quotes Araghchi as saying. According to him, Tehran reserves the right to take all necessary measures in self-defense and will consider any country that participates in the aggression as a legitimate target for its armed forces.

The Iranian foreign minister urged SCO member states to stand together and not allow "aggression to replace diplomacy, force to replace law, and double standards to replace justice." "A secure, stable, and just future can only be achieved when we all stand as one in defending the rule of law, the equality of states, respect for the sovereignty of nations and the dignity of peoples," he added.

The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding providing for an immediate ceasefire across all fronts, including in Lebanon. However, on the night of July 8, the US resumed large-scale strikes on Iran, accusing Tehran of violating the agreement’s provisions concerning the Strait of Hormuz.