Tehran: Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei says Iran's military actions in the region are a legitimate exercise of self-defense against 'continued blatant military aggression' by the United States and Israel. In a post on the social media platform X on Monday night, Baqaei responded to a UN spokesman's remarks, which had expressed concern on Iranian strikes against US bases in regional countries and on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. According to Islamic Republic News Agency, Baqaei emphasized that the situation is not a military confrontation but rather a response to the overt military aggression that began on February 28 by the United States and the Zionist regime against Iran. He highlighted that Iran has not initiated hostilities and is acting in accordance with international law. Baqaei stated that Iran has not attacked anywhere and described the strikes against US military bases and assets on the southern shore of the Persian Gulf as the exercise of the inherent right of self-defense under in ternational law. He further argued that the responsibility for the escalation lies with regional states hosting US military assets, urging them to prevent their territory from being used to launch attacks on Iran. He reiterated that it is irresponsible to criticize Iran for defending itself while failing to hold the aggressors accountable for their violations of international law.