Iran has declared all US and Israeli bases and assets in the Middle East as "legitimate targets" in the event of military aggression against it, Iran's Ambassador to India Mohammad Fathali said on Saturday. Fathali invoked Iran's right to self-defence under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter and affirmed that, as a sovereign state, Iran would take all necessary measures to protect its territorial integrity, independence and the safety of its people. "If we are attacked militarily, all bases and assets of the United States and the Zionist regime in the region will be considered legitimate targets," the ambassador said at the Iranian Culture Centre in New Delhi. He stressed that Iran's armed forces were fully prepared for defence, just as they had been for dialogue. "We exhausted every avenue to prevent war. Now, we will defend our homeland," he declared. The envoy underlined that the aggression took place despite ongoing diplomatic efforts between Iran and the US on the nuclea