Iran’s foreign minister says measures taken by the administration of the outgoing US President Donald Trump to foment tension in region will not sway the Iranian people’s resolve, reiterating that the Islamic Republic of Iran seeks neither tension nor war. Mohammad Javad Zarif made the remarks while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting with the Iranian Parliament’s Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy on Monday.

Asked about provocative measures taken by the Trump administration to stir more tensions and possible military confrontation in the region, Zarif said, “Iran seeks neither tensions nor war and measures taken by the disgraced administration of the outgoing Trump will have no effect on the resolve of the Iranian people.”

"If any individual intends to carry out an act of aggression against Iran, they should take the history of previous aggression into consideration.

However, I think that within the next one or two days left of Trump's administration, our deterrence will act well," he added.

During recent months, Washington has taken provocative measures that exacerbated the already tense situation with Tehran.

It has flown B-52 bombers over the Persian Gulf, dispatched a nuclear-powered submarine to the region, and extended the stay of an aircraft carrier as a warning to the Islamic Republic.

In a tweet on Sunday, the Iranian foreign minister reacted to recent overflights by US strategic B-52H bomber planes, noting that the Iranian nation will never be intimidated by such shows of force.

He added that Iranians are not a belligerent nation and “have not started a war in over 200 years,” emphasizing, “We don’t shy [away] from crushing aggressors.” Read more:

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Elsewhere in his Monday remarks, Zarif pointed to Iran's measures to bring to justice the perpetrators of assassination of the country's top anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq in January 2020.

He said, "Foreign Ministry has been following up on this issue at international and bilateral levels and legal measures are underway both in Iran and Iraq." On January 3 last year, Lieutenant General Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and the deputy head of Iraq’s anti-terror Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, were assassinated along with their companions in a US terror drone strike authorized by President Donald Trump near Baghdad International Airport.

Both the popular commanders had played key roles in eliminating the US-backed Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the region, particularly in Iraq and Syria.

Meanwhile, spokesman for the Parliament's committee, Abolfazl Amouei, also said on the sidelines of the Monday session that Zarif presented a report on the latest developments regarding US domestic policy and predictions of the country's foreign policy after the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

"Zarif emphasized that Iran will pursue the policy of 'action in return for action' in dealing with Biden's administration and will not accept to take any action in return for a statement or signature" from any US official, the lawmaker added