Iran has dismissed calls from Sir Keir Starmer and other Western leaders to refrain from attacking Israel.
The British Prime Minister and German Chancellor Olaf Sholtz spoke to Masoud Pezeshkian, the Iranian president, on Monday, expressing their concern about a regional war if Iran follows through on its threats to attack Israel directly.
The US, Britain, France, Italy and Germany called on Tehran to stand-down in a joint-letter.
Nasser Kanaani, the spokesperson for the Iranian ministry of foreign affairs, said: “The declaration by France, Germany and Britain, which raised no objection to international crimes of the Zionist regime, brazenly asks Iran to take no deterrent action against a regime which has violated its sovereignty.”
Mr Kanaani added that instead of issuing such demands Western nations should: “Once and for all stand up against the war in Gaza and the warmongering of Israel.”
In the wake of the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month, Mr Pezeshkian said Iran will “never give in to pressure, to sanctions and to bullying and considers it has the right to respond”.