Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has said that Tehran reserves the right to react to Israeli airstrikes last month on Iran but is also taking account of other developments in the region, Reuters reports.

Araqchi told reporters during a trip to Lisbon that Iran welcomed Tuesday’s ceasefire agreement in Lebanon and hoped it will be permanent. The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect yesterday under an agreement brokered by the United States and France.

Asked whether the ceasefire could lead to an easing of tensions between Israel and Iran, he said: “It depends on the behaviour of Israel.

“Of course, we reserve the right to react to the recent Israeli aggression, but we do consider all developments in the region,” he said.

Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, said in an interview published on Sunday that Tehran was preparing to respond to Israel.

 A woman carries her child as she walks past a destroyed building, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect on Wednesday, in Tyre, Lebanon on Nov 27, 2024. — Reuters
A woman carries her child as she walks past a destroyed building, after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect on Wednesday, in Tyre, Lebanon on Nov 27, 2024. — Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

On unstable ground
Updated 06 Mar, 2026

On unstable ground

PAKISTAN’S economic managers repeatedly tout improvements in macroeconomic indicators, including rising foreign...
Divide et impera
06 Mar, 2026

Divide et impera

AS if the high loss of life in Iran, regional escalation and economic turbulence caused by the US-Israeli aggression...
New approach needed
06 Mar, 2026

New approach needed

WITH one World Cup campaign ending in despair, Pakistan began to plan for the start of the cycle of another by...
Collective wisdom
05 Mar, 2026

Collective wisdom

IN times like these, when war is raging in the neighbourhood, it is important for the state to bring on board all...
Economic impact
Updated 05 Mar, 2026

Economic impact

The Iran-linked instability highlights the fact that Pakistan’s macroeconomic resilience remains fragile.
Shrouds of innocence
05 Mar, 2026

Shrouds of innocence

TWO-and-a-half years of relentless slaughtering of Palestinian children, with complete impunity and in the most...