DUBAI/BAGHDAD: Iran’s top diplomat said on Sunday there would be “no red lines” in defending the country’s people and interests, but efforts would continue to “contain an all-out war in our region”.

Israel has vowed a response to Iran’s Oct 1 missile attack which Tehran said was in retaliation for the killing of leaders in the region and a general in its Revolutionary Guards.

“While we have made tremendous efforts in recent days to contain an all-out war in our region, I say it clearly that we have no red lines in defending our people and interests,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on X.

He arrived in Baghdad on Sunday for talks with Iraqi officials in Iran’s latest high-level diplomatic efforts ahead of Israel’s anticipated attack.

At a joint news conference with his Iraqi counterpart, Araghchi said Iran was “fully prepared for a war situation … but we do not want war, we want peace.” He said Iran would continue consultations “to prevent the escalation of tension in the region and to work for peace and ceasefire” in Gaza and Lebanon.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said Baghdad was against a regional war spreading to Iran. “The continuation of the war and its expansion towards the Islamic Republic of Iran and (Israel’s) exploitation of Iraqi airspace as a corridor is completely unacceptable and rejected,” Hussein said.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has vowed that his country’s response will be “deadly, precise, and surprising”.

After Baghdad, Araghchi will head to Oman, the Iranian ISNA news agency reported.

US officials believe Israel has narrowed down targets in its potential response to Iran’s attack this month to military and energy infrastructure, NBC reported on Saturday.

The Middle East remains on high alert for further escalation in a year of conflict as Israel battles Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

Israel has repeatedly said it will respond to Iran’s missile barrage on Oct 1, which was launched in retaliation for Israel’s military operations in Gaza and Lebanon and the killings of a string of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.

There is no indication that Israel will target nuclear facilities or carry out assassinations, the NBC report said, citing unnamed US officials and adding that Israel has not made final decisions about how and when to act.

US and Israeli officials said a response could come during the current Yom Kippur holiday, according to the report. The holiday ended on Saturday evening without an Israeli strike.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq said in a statement on Sunday it had targeted a military site in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights with drones as part of its support of the Palestinian people and Lebanon. It said it would continue escalating attacks against Israeli strongholds.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2024