Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh asserted on Friday that Tehran has "no option" but to engage in a "heroic nationalist defence" against what he termed an American and Israeli "invasion," vowing that the nation will resist to the "last bullet" and "last soldier."
Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the Raisina Dialogue 2026 in New Delhi, Khatibzadeh emphasised that Iran is currently enduring a state of total war.
"I think the priority right now is for Iran to exercise the ultimate resistance against the aggressor. We are under attack, under invasion by Americans and Israelis, and they are trying to impose maximum damage on Iran. As we are speaking, my fellow citizens are under constant attack by carpet-bombing, which is happening by Americans and Israelis. Tehran is under constant attack, and we have no option but to resist to the last bullet that we have and to the last soldier that we have," he said.
Characterisation of conflict as resistance to external atrocities
The deputy foreign minister characterised the conflict as a necessary stand against external atrocities. "This is a very heroic, very nationalistic battle for us, and we have to stop the aggressor and their atrocities in Iran. What is important is everybody is supporting international law, and we hope that we are not cherry-picking international law. Now international law is under attack, as well as Iran. Unfortunately, the principles of international law have been attacked, and we have to stand together against these atrocities," he said.
He further warned that US actions, including the alleged assassination of a head of state, threaten global diplomatic norms. "Americans have assassinated the head of another state. If it is the new norm, then nobody, no country on earth can actually have normal diplomatic relations with other countries," he said.
Allegations of Nazi-like tactics in the Indian Ocean
Khatibzadeh also addressed the sinking of an Iranian vessel in the Indian Ocean, comparing the incident to the actions of Nazi Germany. "That vessel was by invitation of our Indian friends attending an exercise, an international exercise. It was ceremonial. It was unloaded. It was unarmed. And the only precedent for that was during Nazi times, when they attacked unarmed vessels and ships away from combat zones. So Americans are exercising the practice of Nazi Germany when they attacked a ceremonial, unarmed and unloaded vessel. It is very unfortunate. Many young Iranian sailors who were attending this exercise actually lost their lives. And it cannot go with impunity for those who actually did that," he remarked.
Preparedness against potential ground invasion
When asked about the possibility of a US ground invasion, the minister stated that Iran remains prepared to stop what he described as a "colonial mission." "I'm not in the Oval Office. I don't know. They change their goals and their strategy every time based on the market and the audience. What we are doing is a heroic nationalist defence. We have no option, as I told you, but to stop them from aggression and change their behaviour in the region. They cannot come a thousand miles from their border to carry out a colonial mission of changing the political structure of another country and toppling a democratically elected government," he said.
Distinction between Kurdish citizens and foreign-backed separatists
Khatibzadeh also dismissed reports of CIA involvement with Kurdish groups for regime change, differentiating between the Kurdish people and foreign-backed separatists. "First of all, please do not demonise our Kurds. Our Kurds are central to our identity, to the Iranian identity. We are very proud of our Kurdish people inside Iran. You are talking about separatists who have been nurtured by the CIA and Mossad. We are born to fight separatism. Iran has a very strong identity. Iran is the oldest living civilisation on earth, and we know how to defend our identity," he said.
Strengthening Indo-Persian civilisational ties
Regarding New Delhi's role, the minister confirmed high-level diplomatic contact and noted the "civilisational roots" shared between the two nations. "I had a brief meeting with the foreign minister of India and a brief encounter with others here. Iran and India have old civilisational roots with each other. We are Indo-Persian culture and civilisation, and it is very much in line with this cultural civilisational heritage. We are attaching great importance to Iran-India relations," he said.
Prospect of regional dynamism and historical resistance
On the prospect of an "off-ramp" to end the war, Khatibzadeh maintained that Iran's resistance is a matter of historical record. "For us, we are resisting, and this is a resistance for history, for the region, for the world, for international law, for the principles of international law, for ethics, for morality. And we are going to resist, and this is for the record of history. The Iranians are sacrificing because rogue, reckless behaviour is happening against Iran. This is what we are doing. For the other side, I don't know; you have to ask them. But I think the moment they stop the aggression, we are going to have a new dynamism in the region," he said.
'America wants end to the existence of Iran'
Expanding on the nature of the conflict, Khatibzadeh added at the Delhi forum, "This is an existential war on Iran....America has decided to put an end to the existence of Iran. The Israelis have been promising this for many decades due to their delusion about Greater Israel...We have no option but to put an end to the existence of American presence in the Persian Gulf area...".
He continued by challenging the justification for the conflict: "My country is under attack based on flat lies that Iran was imposing a threat...Why the Americans and Israelis started aggression against Iran is an important question. If you pose this question to the American administration, based on the different markets and audience you will get different answers...Why they started this is due to power politics and delusion of a ‘Greater Israel."
Regarding the immediate tactical situation, he said, "We are fighting a heroic, nationalistic war to push back those aggressors. We have no option but to hit wherever the Americans are originating their attack from...What is being done by Americans and Israelis today is against the international law and norms...There was no provocation from Iran."
