Iran’s Foreign Ministry says recent developments, including comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have laid bare what it calls the “domineering and expansionist” nature of the Israeli regime, a ministry spokesman said at a weekly press briefing on Monday.
Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei told reporters that Netanyahu’s public embrace of a vision of a “Greater Israel” — which Netanyahu described as including occupied Palestinian territories and parts of neighboring Arab states — demonstrates that “the regime knows no boundaries” in its territorial ambitions. Baghaei said the remarks, together with what he described as ongoing Israeli military action in Gaza and the West Bank, show ‘Israel’ is targeting territories in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and even parts of Saudi Arabia, posing “a threat to regional security and stability.”
Iran warns of ‘endless wars’ in region if Israeli expansionism goes uncheckedhttps://t.co/xr3z3BIsL6 pic.twitter.com/r4fQyjEcYi
— IRNA News Agency (@IrnaEnglish) August 18, 2025
“If this expansionism is not curbed, our region will undoubtedly face endless wars,” Baghaei warned, according to his prepared remarks. He also said Netanyahu’s plan represents a breach of the United Nations Charter and international law, a point echoed by Hamas, which denounced the proposal as evidence of the Israeli leader’s “madness and delirium.”
On the topic of Lebanon and Hezbollah, Baghaei dismissed U.S. proposals to disarm the Lebanese resistance movement, saying Washington “has never played a positive role in the region” and that U.S. interference primarily serves “the interests of the Zionist regime.” He added that the people of Lebanon and other regional states are “well aware” of U.S. plans, which Tehran views as designed to sow discord.
Baghaei reiterated Hamas’s stated refusal to disarm until an independent Palestinian state with al-Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital is established. He also accused ‘Israel’ of pursuing a campaign of forced displacement in Gaza, saying the regime intends to evacuate Gaza City and forcibly move almost one million people southward amid shortages of food and medicine — a step he characterized as part of a genocidal plan and enabled by continued U.S. support and international impunity.
Responding to Israeli comments about water shortages in Iran, Baghaei dismissed the claims as propaganda and accused Israel of stealing water resources and of attacking a main water pipeline in northern Tehran during past hostilities.
On the South Caucasus, Baghaei said Iran will remain vigilant against involvement by extra-regional powers in the wake of a U.S.-brokered Armenia-Azerbaijan agreement signed in Washington on August 8. Tehran reiterated concerns that any transport corridor or infrastructure projects must not violate recognized international borders, infringe Armenia’s sovereignty or alter regional geopolitics — and warned that U.S. and NATO military presence could undermine rather than enhance stability. The agreement foresees a corridor linking Azerbaijan to its exclave Nakhchivan across Armenia’s Syunik province, a proposal Tehran has long opposed.
Turning to the war in Ukraine, Baghaei said Iran welcomes any initiative aimed at ending conflict but cautioned that the United States must work to regain trust after what he called a “notorious history” in international negotiations. He referenced recent high-level talks between U.S. and Russian leaders and media reports that suggested territorial concessions might be discussed as part of a peace settlement.
Source: Agencies (edited and translated by Al-Manar English Website)
