Baghdad:

Iran’s top diplomat vowed Sunday there would be “no red lines” for the country in defending its people and interests, ahead of Israel’s expected retaliation for Iran’s recent missile attack.

“While we have made tremendous efforts in recent days to contain an all-out war in our region, I say it clearly that we have no red lines in defending our people and interests,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a post on X.

Iran fired 200 missiles at Israel on October 1 in what it said was retaliation for the killing of Tehran-aligned operator leaders in the region and a general in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has vowed Israel’s response will be “deadly, precise, and surprising”.

Araghchi was in Baghdad to discuss the wars in Gaza and Lebanon with Iraqi officials, according to the ministry.

Ali al-Moussawi, political advisor to the Iraqi prime minister, told AFP Araghchi’s visit was part of a diplomatic effort “to silence weapons and violence… to establish security and stability in the region”.

After Baghdad, Araghchi will head to Oman, the Iranian ISNA news agency reported.

On Thursday, Araghchi was in Qatar where he met Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani over the wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

Qatar has been mediating talks aimed at a Gaza ceasefire and has called for a truce in Lebanon.

A day earlier, Araghchi met Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan.

In a recent interview, Araghchi said Iran does “not want war” but it was “not afraid of it.”

“We will be ready for any scenario,” he told Al Jazeera news network.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Indians have been asked to avoid travelling to Iran after they launched a massive missile attack on Israel. The government said Indian nationals who are already present in the country must stay vigilant and stay in touch with its embassy in Tehran.

The war situation in the Middle East saw a sharp escalation yesterday after a barrage of hypersonic missiles lit up the night sky above Israel – an offensive that Iran said was to avenge the recent killings of top Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.

The Indian government is closely monitoring the recent escalation in security situation in the region, the foreign ministry said in a statement shared online by spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

Travel advisory for Indian nationals regarding Iran:https://t.co/FhUhy3fA5kpic.twitter.com/tPFJXl6tQy

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) October 2, 2024

“Indian nationals are advised to avoid all non-essential travel to Iran. Those currently residing in Iran are requested to remain vigilant and stay in contact with the Indian Embassy in Tehran,” the travel advisory read.

The Indian embassy in Tel Aviv had yesterday asked Indians in the country to excise caution, avoid unnecessary travel and stay close to the safety shelters.

“The Embassy is closely monitoring the situation and remains in regular touch with the Israeli authorities to ensure the safety of all our nationals,” the embassy said in its advisory.

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar yesterday expressed concern at the possibility of the Middle East crisis growing into a larger regional conflict. “We are very much concerned at the possibility of a broadening of the conflict, not just what happened in Lebanon, but also, you know, I referred earlier to the Houthis and the Red Sea, and, you know, to some extent, everything that happens between Iran and Israel,” he said.

Tuesday’s attack marked a massive escalation in the Israel-Iran ties that had worsened after the October 7 Hamas attacks. Iran backs the Hamas and the Palestinian cause. Israel is also fighting the Iran-backed Hezbollah, which runs Lebanon.