• FM Araghchi slams Western sanctions against Tehran as ‘hostile action’
• Iran’s atomic energy agency says Israeli attack on nuclear sites ‘unlikely’

TEHRAN: Iran’s top diplomat has warned UN chief Antonio Guterres that Tehran is ready for a “decisive and regretful” response if Israel attacks his country in retaliation for a missile attack.

The Islamic republic fired about 200 missiles at Israel on October 1 in revenge for the killing of two of its closest allies, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, as well as an Iranian general.

Israeli Defence Mini­ster Yoav Gallant vowed last week that his country’s retaliatory measure would be “deadly, precise and surprising”.

“Iran, while making all-out efforts to protect the peace and security of the region, is fully prepared for a decisive and regretful response to any adventures” by Israel, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said during a phone call with Guterres, according to a statement from his office on Wednesday.

During the call on Tuesday evening, Araghchi also appealed to the United Nations to use its resources “to stop the crimes and aggressions of the Israeli regime and to send humanitarian aid to Lebanon and Gaza”.

Iran’s top diplomat also spoke on the phone with his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot on Tuesday, his office said.

In the call, Araghchi stressed the need to stop Israeli attacks on Lebanon, warned against any “new adventures” by its arch-foe in the region, and called for the removal of Israeli “obstacles” impeding the delivery of aid to displaced people.

It followed a phone conversation on Sunday between the two countries’ presidents, Emmanuel Macron and Masoud Pezeshkian.

Araghchi said that new Western sanctions against Iran were “hostile action” and would not help to resolve regional tensions, state media reported.

“The new Western sanctions against Iran are considered a hostile action and will not help the existing situation,” he told reporters in Jordan’s capital, Amman, according to IRNA state news agency.

Araghchi said the so-called Muscat process of indirect negotiations with the United States on nuclear issues “has been halted for the time being”. Oman has long mediated between Iran and the United States, which cut ties after the 1979 Islamic revolution. Araghchi said, however, that exchanges with the US on other issues are “still ongoing”.

Araghchi arrived in Jordan on Wednesday before travelling to Egypt and Turkiye, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said in a post on social media platform X.

Meanwhile, Iran’s atomic energy agency said Wednesday that a potential Israeli attack on nuclear facilities “will not succeed” or “cause any serious damage”, predicting that such an attack was “unlikely” to happen.

“It is very unlikely to happen,” said agency spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi in a video interview with the Nournews agency.

“In the event of an attack on a key site: be sure it will not succeed,” he said.

“And if they (Israel) do such a stupid thing, it is very unlikely that they will cause serious damage to us and even if we assume that they can cause some damage, the country can quickly compensate for it,” he added.

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2024