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New Delhi, Jun 24 (PTI) Former vice president Hamid Ansari on Tuesday termed the recent military actions by the US and Israel on Iran over the past two weeks as "illegal aggression".

Israel and Iran have fired hundreds of missiles and drones at each other's cities and military and strategic facilities since the hostilities began over a week back.

The tensions escalated significantly following the US bombing of three major Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday morning.

In an interview with PTI Videos, Ansari, also a former diplomat, said the root cause of the aggression is Israel's leadership's approach to relations with Iran.

"The root cause is very clear... the present leadership of Israel has got a particular approach to relations with Iran.

"And they have been saying it without mincing words that the Iranians' leadership must be changed. So this war was created by Israel," he said.

He also blamed the US for the war.

"It has been acknowledged. It was done in cooperation with the United States and it was a war of aggression.

"There are no two ways about it. It was a war of aggression, which under international law was and should be called illegal," he said.

Ansari defended Iran's leadership as stable and supported by its people, emphasising Iran's scientific progress and its right to develop technology, including nuclear capabilities, without being labelled a violator of international law.

"No country has come out and said that they have violated the international law... there is allegation, there is suspicion, but they have not violated. No one has said that they have made bomb but how can we stop them for making a technology...," he said.

Asked about the role of the US in the ongoing conflict, Ansari spoke on dealing with President Donald Trump's administration.

"Trump is the President of the USA, so you have to deal with him, you can't say that you can't deal with him. He has a certain kind of working style and the world is getting wise to it," he added.

Ansari said friendship with America should be there but it does not mean that one should do whatever is told.

"India's relationship with Iran is very old relationship and there is a lot of substance in it. So, that relationship should not be broken easily. It is in our benefit and in Iran's benefit. When the opportunity has come, Iran has helped us. When the opportunity has come, we have helped Iran.

"So we have to handle that relationship carefully. We should not spoil it on small things. We had a traditional policy. For example, in Gaza, the whole world is saying that genocide is taking place but we are quiet. Genocide is genocide, whether it is in South Africa or somewhere else," he said.

Ansari said "temporary decisions" are not good.

"Friendship with America should be there. I also say that it should be there. There is a lot of benefit in it but friendship with America does not mean that we have to do whatever is said. We will do what is in our interest. What is not in our interest, is against our principles. We have always openly said that this is against our principles," he said. 

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)