Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday said Israel’s attack on the Islamic Republic “should neither be exaggerated nor minimised”.
“The evil perpetrated by the Zionist regime (Israel) two nights ago must not be exaggerated or minimised,” he said in a post on X. Without elaborating, he described the deadly attack as a “miscalculation”.
Meanwhile, Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that Iran did not seek war with Israel but was ready to deliver “an appropriate response” to strikes this week on Iranian military sites.
“We do not seek war but we will defend the rights of our nation and country,” Pezeshkian told a cabinet meeting, adding that Iran “will give an appropriate response to the aggression of the Zionist regime.”
On Saturday, Israel conducted air strikes on military sites in Iran killing at least four Iranian soldiers.
Pezeshkian blamed the soaring regional tensions on Israel’s “aggression” and US support for the country, which Tehran does not recognize.
“If the aggressions of the Zionist regime and its crimes continue, the tensions will spread,” said the Iranian president.
Pezeshkian added that the United States had “promised to end the war in return for our restraint, but they did not keep their promise,” Pezeshkian added.
The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Monday at Iran’s request following Israel’s deadly missile strikes in retaliation for an October 1 attack by Tehran.
The Swiss presidency of the UNSC said Sunday that the meeting would take place following the request by Iran, supported by Algeria, China, and Russia.
