Tehran, May 22 -- Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei on Friday strongly responded to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier's characterisation of the ongoing West Asia conflict as an "unnecessary war", asserting that the United Nations Charter does not recognise any concept of a "necessary war".

In a post on X, Baqaei said the current regional crisis stems directly from the United States' "unlawful and capricious withdrawal" in May 2018 from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which imposes strict, verifiable restrictions on Iran's nuclear programme in return for relief from economic sanctions, arguing that the escalation could have been avoided.

Baqaei added that the UN Charter does not permit ...