'Cannot go with impunity': Iran on sinking of 'unarmed' ship; says fighting 'existential war' against US, Israel

New Delhi, Mar 6 (PTI) Iran's confrontation with the US and Israel has now become an "existential war" for Tehran, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Friday, cautioning against "cherry picking" international law.

The US and Israel attacked Iran "based on flat lies", and Tehran has no option but to resist this aggression "to the last bullet," he said as the war in West Asia escalated further triggering fears of a larger regional conflict.

Khatibzadeh, referring to the sinking of an Iranian warship off Sri Lanka's coast, by the US, warned that the attack on an "unarmed ship cannot go with impunity".

The Iranian deputy foreign minister offered these remarks during an interactive session at the Raisina Dialogue and in subsequent conversations with reporters.

Khatibzadeh met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and a few Indian officials.

"Everybody knows, from Saudi Arabia to Oman, that this is Israel's war. Israel dragged the Americans into this war because they have this delusion of a 'Greater Israel' They (Gulf nations) know that this war is meant to stop Israelis from pursuing that delusion," he said.

Khatibzadeh said Iran is trying to "avoid a spill over" of conflict and alleged false-flag operations by Israel to target various installations in the Middle East.

"Should the head of a state be targeted when there are problems between countries? This is unprecedented. If this becomes the new norm, then it is extremely dangerous," he argued.

The US launched military strikes on Iran on February 28, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Following the military offensive, Iran carried out a wave of attacks mainly targeting Israel and American military bases in several Gulf countries. The conflict has widened in the last few days.

"This is an existential war for Iran. They would like to put an end to the existence of Iran," Khatibzadeh said.

At the same time, he said: "We are going to resist, and this is for the record of history. Iranians are sacrificing because rogue, reckless behaviour is happening against Iran. This is what we are doing. I think the moment they stop the aggression, we are going to have a new dynamism in the region." Khatibzadeh, strongly condemning killing of Khamenei, said "cherry-picking" of international law cannot be acceptable.

"Unfortunately, principles of international law have been attacked, and we have to stand together against these atrocities. Americans have assassinated the head of another state. If it is the new norm, then nobody, no country on earth can actually have diplomatic normalisation with other countries," he said.

To a question on US President Donald Trump seeking to change the leadership in Iran, he retorted: "Someone who cannot even pick the mayor of New York wants to have a say on Iran's leadership." "He (Trump) wants democracy at home but wants to topple elected governments abroad." Khatibzadeh said that Iran has not closed the Strait of Hormuz, asserting instead that shipping has halted because insurers are refusing to cover vessels in the volatile region.

On the sinking of the Iranian warship IRIS Dena, he said the attack on the "unarmed ship cannot go with impunity".

The Iranian frigate, IRIS Dena, was returning home after participating in the Milan multilateral naval exercise hosted by India. At least 87 Iranian sailors were killed in the attack, which marked a major escalation in the conflict between the US and Iran outside of the Persian Gulf.

Khatibzadeh emphasised that the IRIS Dena was in a non-combat configuration, returning from the Milan naval exercises and the US action against it was a serious violation of international law.

"This is a very sad, very unfortunate incident. That vessel was by invitation of our Indian friends, attending an international exercise. It was ceremonial. It was unloaded. It was unarmed," he said.

"It is very unfortunate. Many of the young Iranian sailors who were attending these exercises lost their lives. It cannot go with impunity for those who actually did that," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue.

IRIS Dena was part of Indian Navy's premier multilateral maritime exercise Milan. The warship had also featured in the International Fleet Review in Vishakapatnam last month.

"The only precedent of attacking an unarmed, unloaded, ceremonial vessel far from combat zones was during Nazi Germany. Many young Iranian sailors lost their lives in this tragic incident. This cannot go unanswered," Khatibzadeh said.

He also responded to a question on India's position on the West Asia crisis.

"Iran and India have all civilizational roots with each other. We are Indo-Persian culture and civilization and it is very much in line with this cultural civilizational heritage, and we attach great importance to Iran-India relations," he said.

The Iranian deputy foreign minister described Iran's fight against the US and Israel as "resistance for the history, for the region, for the world, for the principles of international law". PTI MPB ZMN