TEHRAN — Iran’s top diplomat has issued a blunt warning to Israel, declaring that any threat against the Islamic Republic’s leadership or citizens will be met with an “immediate and powerful” response.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the remarks after Israeli War Minister Israel Katz said Monday that the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, was “marked for death.” Araghchi described the remark as a deliberate attempt by Tel Aviv to undermine the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding, a U.S.-Iran agreement brokered by Pakistan.
The June 17 pact ended the joint U.S.-Israeli war against Iran and requires all sides to refrain from military action or threats. Araghchi noted that under the deal, President Donald Trump committed to reining in Israel. “If they ignore their master, Iran will school them,” he wrote on X.
The warning comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also escalated his rhetoric. In recent days, Netanyahu has threatened to strike Iran’s nuclear sites if Tehran resumes its defensive operations, and has signaled that Israel may act unilaterally despite U.S. pressure to uphold the ceasefire. His cabinet has also floated the possibility of expanding military operations beyond Lebanon, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
Reports and leaked information suggest Israeli officials pressed Washington heavily to launch a new war against Iran, convincing U.S. President Donald Trump that the assassination of Iran’s previous Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and a massive bombing campaign would cause the Islamic Republic to collapse in days and deliver the Trump administration a major political victory. The war, however, has cost U.S. taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars, drained Pentagon resources, fueled domestic inflation, and eroded public support for the administration’s foreign policy, leaving Trump vulnerable ahead of the midterm elections. According to most analysts, Iran has emerged in a more powerful position.
Analysts also believe that Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon, as well as its recent threats, are aimed at collapsing the current diplomatic process between Iran and the U.S. and once again dragging Washington into war with Tehran.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: tehrantimes.com
