FILE: Tehran, Iran - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland/Al-Arabiya/Persian language TV Stations outside Iran. Strictly No Access BBC Persian/VOA Persian/Manoto TV/Iran International TV)
1. National flags of Iran on street

Tehran, Iran - March 13, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland/Al-Arabiya/Persian language TV Stations outside Iran. Strictly No Access BBC Persian/VOA Persian/Manoto TV/Iran International TV)
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesman, Iranian Foreign Ministry:
"The government, the political system, is based on our identity, our history, and the will of the people. The fact that the Assembly of Experts was quick enough to pick the next Supreme Leader, I think, was very telling. It means that the political system, despite all the odds, despite all the critical situations that we are facing, is very stable, efficient, and able to conduct the governance of Iran."

FILE: Tehran, Iran - Jan 14, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland/Al-Arabiya/Persian language TV Stations outside Iran. Strictly No Access BBC Persian/VOA Persian/Manoto TV/Iran International TV)
3. Various of interior of Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs office building

Tehran, Iran - March 13, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland/Al-Arabiya/Persian language TV Stations outside Iran. Strictly No Access BBC Persian/VOA Persian/Manoto TV/Iran International TV)
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesman, Iranian Foreign Ministry (partially overlaid with shot 5):
"What we are doing right now is just defending our dignity and our sovereignty against this unlawful, brutal attack. I think those who are used to calling both sides on an equal footing and do not distinguish between the victim and the aggressors should really take a responsible position. They have to call a spade a spade. They have to address the aggressors. They have to make them accountable for the brutal war they have launched, not only against Iran but also against the whole region. The instability and insecurity of the region is the direct result of the United States' and Israel's violation of the UN Charter."
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++

FILE: UN Headquarters, New York City - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Various of UN headquarters, UN flag, UN emblem
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
6. Various of UN headquarters, UN flag, UN emblem

Tehran, Iran - March 13, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland/Al-Arabiya/Persian language TV Stations outside Iran. Strictly No Access BBC Persian/VOA Persian/Manoto TV/Iran International TV)
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesman, Iranian Foreign Ministry (partially overlaid with shot 8):
"For the time being, I think we are focused, we are concentrated on using all our capabilities and capacities to defend Iran against this cruel war. And please do not forget the fact that we were in the middle of negotiations. We never rejected diplomacy. This was the second time during the past nine months that Iran came under attack by the United States while we were negotiating. Iran has proved its good faith, its good intention, its seriousness in diplomacy. But now it is the time of war, a war that is imposed on Iran, and the whole system, the whole population are united to defend Iran."
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++

Tehran, Iran - March 10, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland/Al-Arabiya/Persian language TV Stations outside Iran. Strictly No Access BBC Persian/VOA Persian/Manoto TV/Iran International TV)
8. Missiles flying overhead, explosions in air
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++

Tehran, Iran - March 10, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland/Al-Arabiya/Persian language TV Stations outside Iran. Strictly No Access BBC Persian/VOA Persian/Manoto TV/Iran International TV)
9. Firefighter extinguishing fire

Tehran, Iran - March 8, 2026 (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland/Al-Arabiya/Persian language TV Stations outside Iran. Strictly No Access BBC Persian/VOA Persian/Manoto TV/Iran International TV)
10. Various of black smoke, destroyed vehicles after strikes

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has said Iran is asserting its right of self-defense against the "unlawful, brutal attacks" from the United States and Israel.

On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. The attacks took place while negotiations were ongoing.

Iran has responded to the attacks with multiple waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. assets across the region.

Amid the turmoil, the appointment of Iran's new supreme leader demonstrates the constitutional stability of the country, Baghaei said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) released on Friday.

"The government, the political system, is based on our identity, our history, and the will of the people. The fact that the Assembly of Experts was quick enough to pick the next Supreme Leader, I think, was very telling. It means that the political system, despite all the odds, despite all the critical situations that we are facing, is very stable, efficient, and able to conduct the governance of Iran," he said.

The spokesperson urged the international community to consider Iran's position, which holds that the instability and insecurity of the Middle East is the direct result of the aggression from the United States and Israel.

"What we are doing right now is just defending our dignity and our sovereignty against this unlawful, brutal attack. I think those who are used to calling both sides on an equal footing and do not distinguish between the victim and the aggressors should really take a responsible position. They have to call a spade a spade. They have to address the aggressors. They have to make them accountable for the brutal war they have launched, not only against Iran but also against the whole region. The instability and insecurity of the region is the direct result of the United States' and Israel's violation of the UN Charter," said Baghaei.

Emphasizing that the country would continue to act in its own defense, he expressed hope that the world would remember that Iran demonstrated a willingness to engage in diplomacy before it was attacked.

"For the time being, I think we are focused, we are concentrated on using all our capabilities and capacities to defend Iran against this cruel war. And please do not forget the fact that we were in the middle of negotiations. We never rejected diplomacy. This was the second time during the past nine months that Iran came under attack by the United States while we were negotiating. Iran has proved its good faith, its good intention, its seriousness in diplomacy. But now it is the time of war, a war that is imposed on Iran, and the whole system, the whole population are united to defend Iran," he said.