Tehran: Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei speaks at a weekly press conference in Tehran, Iran, on Monday, August 17, 2026. Baghaei said Iran and Oman have agreed on the map of a new route for maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. (Photo: Xinhua via IANS)
Tehran, October 26 (IANS) Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the outcome of Israel's parliamentary election on October 27 would make no difference to Iran.
Speaking at a weekly press conference in Tehran on Monday, Baghaei criticised Israel's record in West Asia, saying it had brought nothing to the region but "violence and massacre." He also accused Israel of continuing what he called "genocide" against Palestinians and said Israeli threats against Iran were part of its hostile conduct, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Responding to Israeli officials' claims that Iran might launch preemptive strikes to disrupt the election, Baghaei warned that Israel was "highly adept at carrying out false-flag operations."
He said Iran was closely monitoring developments and that its armed forces would not hesitate to defend the country's territory, adding that Iran was in a state of war and would exercise its right to self-defence.
Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi on Sunday reiterated that the administration of the Strait of Hormuz and routes in the waterway will not be the same as they were in the past, according to the official news agency IRNA.
Araghchi made the remarks at a ceremony in the Iranian capital Tehran, while stressing that "fundamental and strategic" changes have taken place in West Asia following the US-Israeli war against Iran.
"We must accept that new realities have taken hold. The routes in the Strait of Hormuz will not be the same as they once were, and the strait's management will also not be as it was in the past," he said. "There are matters on which we have held negotiations, and these negotiations will continue."
The minister stressed that the region's security must be ensured by regional countries and without reliance on foreign forces, "who have come to the region aiming to safeguard their own interests and protect Israel, and whose continued presence will lead to nothing but insecurity for the entire region."
He added that Iran was ready to cooperate with all regional countries.
