Iran Vows Response to Israeli Strikes, Emphasizes Defense, Not War

In remarks made during a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that while Iran does not seek a war with Israel, it is prepared to deliver “an appropriate response” to recent Israeli airstrikes on Iranian military sites. Pezeshkian emphasized Iran’s stance on defending its national rights, saying, “We do not seek war but will defend the rights of our nation and country,” and warning that Iran “will give an appropriate response to the aggression of the Zionist regime.”

The comments follow a series of retaliatory strikes. On Saturday, Israel launched airstrikes on Iranian military sites in response to a previous attack from Tehran on October 1, which Iran claimed was in retaliation for the killing of Iran-backed militant leaders and a Revolutionary Guards commander. Israel has cautioned Tehran against escalating further.

Pezeshkian attributed the rise in regional tensions to what he described as Israeli “aggression” and U.S. support for Israel, which Tehran does not officially recognize. “If the aggressions of the Zionist regime and its crimes continue, the tensions will spread,” he added.

The Iranian president also criticized the United States, saying it had “promised to end the war in return for our restraint, but they did not keep their promise.” Iran has repeatedly called for an end to the ongoing Gaza conflict, which erupted last year after an October 7 attack on Israel by the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas.

In addition to supporting Hamas, Iran backs other armed groups in the region, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah. The group has been engaged in intensified hostilities with Israeli forces over the past month, escalating from a year of low-intensity skirmishes.

— AFP