Iran warns Israel against any attack, threatens stronger retaliation

Iran’s foreign minister warned Israel against launching an attack, saying on Tuesday any strike on Iranian infrastructure would be met with a stronger retaliation.
Iran attacked Israel last week with a salvo of missiles. Israel has vowed to retaliate.
“We recommend the Zionist regime (Israel) not to test the resolution of the Islamic Republic. If any attack against our country takes place, our response will be more powerful,” Araqchi said in a televised speech.
Any attack on Iran’s infrastructure will be met with a stronger retaliation, and “our enemies know what kind of targets inside the Zionist Regime (Israel) are in our reach,” Araqchi added.
Iran’s oil minister landed on Kharg Island, home to the country’s main export terminal, and held talks with a naval commander on Sunday, the oil ministry’s news website Shana reported, amid concern Israel could attack energy facilities.
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday that he did not think Israel had yet decided how to respond.

Real danger of a further regional escalation of conflict

“We face the very real danger of a further regional escalation of conflict,” the director of the CIA – the American foreign intelligence service – said at a conference in the US state of Georgia last night.

William J Burns said the CIA did not assess that either Israel or Iran were looking for an all-out conflict – but there still remained a risk.

The risks, he said, came from misjudgments by leaders or events – like a military strike that was designed to be precise leading to unexpected casualties.

He said Israel had done “enormous damage” to Iran’s most important and potent proxy, Hezbollah.

But while Israel had had a series of tactical successes, the challenge would be to combine the use of force with intelligence and diplomacy to achieve a ceasefire to Israel’s north in Lebanon, as well as in Gaza.

Burns has been closely involved in negotiations over a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza. He said at times a deal had been close but had remained “very elusive”.

There was currently an “extremely risky environment” dominated by military action. Asked if he expected a deal in the coming months he said: “I’ve learnt not to get my hopes up.”.