Iran’s chief diplomat has sent a stark warning to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that Tehran is ready to respond “decisively and regretfully” if Israel launches a retaliatory strike over a missile strike earlier this week.
On October 1, Iran launched close to 200 missiles at Israel in what the state said was in retaliation for the killing of its key allies, including Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and an Iranian general.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said earlier that the response would be “deadly, precise, and surprising.”
In a call with Guterres, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi underscored that “Iran, while doing its utmost to keep pace and peace in the region, is fully prepared for a decisive and regretful response to any provocations” from Israel. He also called on the United Nations to use its capacities to stop what he termed the “crimes and aggressions” of the Israeli regime and facilitate humanitarian aid to Lebanon and Gaza.
Another important meeting he had was with his French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot. Araghchi emphasized the need to end Israel’s aggressions against Lebanon immediately and warned Israel not to continue any adventurism in this region.
He asked for the removal of the Israeli barriers to assist the people dispatched to the area. These talks came days after the phone conversation between Iranian and French Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Masoud Pezeshkian.
Over the past week, Araghchi has toured extensively to help dissipate regional tensions: he has visited Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iraq, and Oman. He arrived in Jordan on Wednesday, where, in company with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, he discussed ongoing regional developments against the background of what was termed Israel’s “atrocities and aggression” against Gaza and Lebanon. Reports say that he also met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II.
These developments unfold against the backdrop of an intensified struggle between Israel and Hamas-a group of Palestinians allied with Iran-that in recent times has also spread to include Lebanon.
