NEW YORK, July 7. /TASS/. Iran can defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity on its own, President Masoud Pezeshkian said.

"We are capable enough to defend ourselves and to stand on our own two feet and to defend our country, our territorial integrity to the last drop of our blood," he said in an interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson, when asked whether his country would expect assistance from Russia or China if a new conflict broke out in the Middle East.

"As I have said, again and again, we don't want wars, we don't [want] to develop a nuclear weapon. And this false image, this wrong mentality created in the minds of the US decision-makers and officials is because of the devilish machinations instigated by Netanyahu and the Israeli regime and its policies based on war mongering," the president went on to say.

Asked about how the standoff with Israel came to be, Pezeshkian blamed Tel Aviv.

"Just look at what they have been doing in the last couple of years in Palestine, in Gaza <…> bombing schools and hospitals, and civilian and residential areas, nothing short of ... a full-scale genocide," he said. "They have blocked the entry of food and medicine, any kind of humanitarian relief to Gaza."

Overnight into June 13, Israel started a military operation against Iran. Less than a day later, Iran carried out a retaliatory attack. Nine days later, the US entered the fray. In the small hours of June 22, US forces attacked three Iranian nuclear facilities: in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. The following evening, Tehran launched missiles toward Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest US air force base in the Middle East. According to the US, there were no casualties or significant damage. Trump then said Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire, which took effect on June 24.