A senior adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei suggested that the Islamic Republic remains open to cooperation with Western states if they respect the country's sovreignty.

According to The Iran Project, Ali Akbar Velayati, a former foreign minister, told the Financial Times that Iran is reassessing its foreign policy with an aim to foster better ties with European countries and others.

“The Islamic Republic is open to cooperation with any Western state that seeks genuine interaction with Iran, provided it respects our sovereignty and treats us as an equal,” Velayati said, following Israeli airstrikes on military targets across three provinces in Iran, which were thwarted by Iran's air defenses.

He emphasized Iran’s intention to balance relations with various regions. “We are actively redefining a new balance in relations with Western, Eastern, and developing countries. We welcome friendship with any country, from Europe to Asia or Africa,” he added.

Velayati dismissed the Israeli assault as “much ado about nothing” and said Israel was destabilizing the region. “In its role as a warmongering entity, the regime has the potential to set the volatile Middle East region on fire, and to create the spark that would set the regional powder keg alight,” he said.