TEHRAN – Iranian ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions around the world have firmly rebuffed U.S. President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Iranian diplomats defect amid the joint U.S.–Israeli military aggression against Iran.

During an address in the East Room of the White House on Thursday night, Trump demanded that “Iranian diplomats around the world request asylum and help us (Americans) shape a new and better Iran."

In a joint open letter, Iranian ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions reaffirmed their allegiance to the ideals of the Islamic Republic and dismissed Trump’s call as “vulgar.”

“The vulgar remarks made in recent days by certain U.S. officials regarding Iran’s diplomatic apparatus and its honorable and patriotic diplomats represent yet another clear indication of their failure to understand the fundamental realities of Iran and the Islamic Republic, as well as the depth of their hostility toward the Iranian nation and the national and religious values of the Iranian people—particularly the principle of loyalty to the homeland and steadfastness in defending Iran even at the cost of one’s life,” the letter said.

The diplomats stressed that Trump’s offer “constitutes a clear violation of the fundamental principles of international law and diplomatic norms, and also reflects the definitive failure of the U.S. and Israel in their military aggression against Iran.”

They also noted that Trump’s demand aligns with the “desperate attempts” by the U.S. and Israel to “wage cognitive and psychological warfare” against Iran.

The diplomats vowed to defend Iran’s “sovereignty, national dignity, and territorial integrity against the brutal aggression of the enemy.”

The letter added, “As ambassadors and diplomatic representatives of Iran across the world, standing shoulder to shoulder with Iran’s brave armed forces, we will not relent in repelling the enemy’s aggression. We will be the strong voice of our oppressed yet powerful people in the arena of international diplomacy and will not falter for a moment in fulfilling our legal, national, religious, and moral duties in service to our motherland.”

The U.S. and Israel launched war on Iran on February 28. On the first day of the aggression, they martyred the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and several top military commanders.

More than a week into the war, the joint strikes—which have targeted civilian sites in addition to military ones—have claimed the lives of more than 1,200 people. This includes a strike on a girls’ school in the city of Minab in southern Iran, which killed nearly 170 students. Several U.S. media outlets have suggested the school was hit by a U.S. missile.

Meanwhile, global reactions are growing over the deadly aggression on Iran and the martyrdom of Ayatollah Khamenei. In a show of respect, a group of diplomats, officials, and representatives from various countries gathered at the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations in New York to express their condolences to the Iranian government and people following the assassination of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution.

Senior officials from different countries also visited Iranian diplomatic missions in European capitals. They expressed their sympathy to Iran’s ambassadors and signed condolence books opened for this purpose.

Messages recorded in these condolence books paid tribute to the martyrs of the imposed war, including the students killed at the Minab girls’ school.