Irans Ambassador to the United Nations has told the Security Council chairman his country's attack against Iraq-based rebels was a defensive move, the official IRNA news agency said today.
Iraq said yesterday Iran had fired 56 Scud missiles at camps belonging to the Iranian armed opposition People's Mujahideen Organisation.
The mujahideenput the number of missiles fired at 66. It said one of its members had been killed along with several Iraqi civilians and several people were wounded.
Iran said it had acted in self-defence and according to the UN charter. It said the attack was in retaliation for a wave of attacks by mujahideenrebels on targets deep inside the country.
Tehran regularly criticises the Iraqi government for its support of the group. Iraq in turn accuses Iran of sheltering Iraqi Shia Muslim dissidents.