Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, in a phone call with the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday, clarified Iran’s military operation against the aggressor Zionist regime within the framework of legitimate defense and international law.   Amirabdollahian said, although Iran could carry out the operation in a wider scope, it only struck the military positions from where the Zionist regime had launched an attack on Iran’s Embassy in Damascus on April 1.   Appreciating the UN secretary general for his efforts to help the Palestinian people, the Iranian foreign minister stated, “Due to the inefficiency of the Security Council and its failure to denounce the Israeli regime’s strike on the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, legitimate self-defense and punishment for the Zionist regime were the only options left for us.”   Noting that the security in the region is very vital for Iran, the top Iranian diplomat slammed the US and other Israeli allies for not stopping the occupying regime six month into the killing and genocide rampage against the defenseless children and women in Gaza.   “Is six months of war, crimes and genocide by Israel not enough? When will the international community act to stop the genocide and crimes?” the foreign minister rhetorically asked.   Amirabdollahian also expressed gratitude to the UN secretary general for his positive approach and efforts to help cease the conflict in Gaza and deliver aid supplies to the enclave and also for his two visits to Rafah.   He said, “Iran welcomes the UN Secretary General’s initiative to achieve lasting security.”   Touching on Iran’s recent operation against the Israeli regime during the phone call, the UN secretary general, in turn, called on conflicting parties in the region to practice restraint.   Guterres reiterated, “Yesterday, I once again condemned any attack or aggression against diplomatic premises and emphasized that diplomatic missions should be protected.”   He also expressed satisfaction with Iran's stance to refrain from wide-ranging operations against the Zionist regime, saying, “We emphasize that Israel should not take any reprisal action in order to minimize regional tensions in favor of establishing peace so that violence would not spread.”