Iran's foreign minister scoffed in a U.S. television interview that the drones in Israel's attack this week on his country were mere "toys" in comments aimed at downplaying the significance of the assault.
"What happened ... was not a strike," Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told NBC News moderator Tom Llamas in an interview after Friday's air attack by Israel.
"They were more like toys that our children play with — not drones," he added.
"The downed micro air vehicles caused no damage and no casualties," the minister told the semi-official Tasnim News Agency, according to the BBC.
Amirabdollahian refused to even acknowledge that Israel launched a strike against his nation. Israel also has yet to publicly acknowledge its military operation against Iran, which was revealed by officials in the U.S. and other countries.
Israel's drone attack was reportedly launched near a military base and nuclear power plant close to the Iranian town of Isfahan. It was widely viewed as retaliation for Iran's drone and missile strike on Israel days earlier — which was retaliation in turn for Israel's earlier attack on Iran's embassy in Syria.
Damage in the latest attack, which triggered Iran's air defense forces, was not immediately known.
Iranian FM Amirabdollahian: "What happened last night was not a strike. They were more like toys that our children play with – not drones." pic.twitter.com/myFUI6HTJ2
— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 20, 2024
Amirabdollahian assured in the interview that Iran will not strike Israel again unless provoked.
World leaders are pressing for calm as tensions between Israel and Iran are racheting up.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized Friday that the U.S. played no role in Israel's attack on Iran, and he urged calm between the two countries.
"We're committed to Israel's security," Blinken said at a press conference following the attack after a meeting with G7 foreign ministers in Capri, Italy. "We're also committed to de-escalating,"
Blinken reportedly told the G7 ministers that the Israelis government informed the U.S. of the planned attack on Iran at the last minute.
