"I understand that what is happening in our region is having an impact on the global economy. But this is not our fault. You are worried about oil prices, about food prices, but we are worried about the lives of our citizens," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in an interview with India Today, commenting on the situation surrounding the Strait of Hormuz in connection with the war in the Middle East.

He stressed that the United States and Israel are brutally killing the Iranian people through their strikes.

"In just one attack carried out on February 28, more than 170 innocent children were killed in the city of Minab. So we are defending ourselves. These consequences for the global economy are directly caused by the reckless, illegal war that the United States and Israel have unleashed against Iran and the entire region," Baghaei said.

He added that the United States has "betrayed the institution of mediation."