US Says It Doesn’t Seek Wider Middle East War

The attack exposed Iran's true colors, he said in an exclusive interview, underlining that when Tehran’s proxies failed to achieve their objectives, the Iranian regime resorted to a direct assault.

Hagari highlighted that 99 percent of Iran’s projectiles were intercepted, debunking the Islamic Republic’s claims about hitting targets in Israel. Hagari also pointed out that the only place Iran’s ballistic missiles reached was Nevatim Airbase, where “a small number” of missiles caused “a minor damage” and did not even halt the operation of the base. “We can show it live” that Israeli planes are departing from the base patrolling Israel’s airspace.

“Zero UAVs and cruise missiles entered Israel,” he said, confirming earlier reports that most of the projectiles had been intercepted before entering the Israeli airspace. “Only a handful of ballistic missiles” hit the Nevatim airbase and its surrounding areas. “This is all their capability.”

Differentiating between “the regime in Iran” and “the people of Iran,” Hagari said that the IRGC and its extraterritorial Quds force wasted a significant amount of Iranians' money on the attack. He further criticized Iran's misuse of resources, stating that the attack again highlighted how Iranian public funds are squandered on terrorism, rather than being invested in the nation's development and its citizens' well-being.

He also addressed the propaganda campaign by the regime about the attack, calling on the Islamic Republic not to "sell lies and fake videos to the people of Iran.” “You are wasting their money and their resources.”

The Iranian people know that the regime is lying, he pointed that, adding that the building targeted in Iran's embassy compound in Damascus was a base for the IRGC-Quds Force and not a diplomatic building. How come no diplomat was killed in the attack on the so-called consulate building, he asked.

Israel and all its partners are ready to defend Israel against Iran and its proxy forces, he said. “The strategic partnership between Israel and the US is ironclad,” he highlighted, referring to US President Joe Biden’s remarks.

Israel’s response will be demonstrably forceful, Hagari asserted, emphasizing action over rhetoric. "We will take all necessary measures to safeguard our national interests and the security of the Israeli people."

Stock exchange officials decided in an emergency meeting to lower the daily price fluctuation range to one percent for the next three consecutive days in a bid to cool off the market that was witnessing queues of investors trying to sell off their holdings.

The decision came after a sharp fall on the stock exchange which saw the overall index lose more than 11,000 points at the closing of Sunday's trading. The steep decline marked one of the biggest recent history drops, reflecting anxieties over escalating regional tensions fueled by Tehran.

The economic repercussions of the conflict are profound, as Iran's national currency also hit a record low. In the early hours after the attack on Sunday morning, the US dollar rose to pass 710,000 rials but later decreased slightly to reach 674,000 rials, an almost 30 percent depreciation since early January. Other major currencies have also seen historic increases, with the Euro exchanged at 719,200 rials and the British pound trading at 839,600 rials.

A declining currency value could bring more economic hardships for Iranians in the midst of an economic crisis. Now, with the annual inflation rate near 50 percent, savers are converting their money into hard currencies or gold to gain stability at a time when the economic landscape is changing rapidly.

Iran notified its neighbors of its attack on Israel 72 hours in advance, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian says.

“About 72 hours prior to our operations, we informed our friends and neighbors in the region that Iran’s response against Israel was certain, legitimate, and irrevocable,” Amirabdollahian says at a press conference.

He noted that Tehran informed Washington that its attacks against Israel will be "limited" and "for self-defence."

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has twice in the past ten days underlined that ignoring hijab is a redline that should not be crossed and urged the authorities to enforce related laws.

The police have introduced their hijab enforcement initiative, named the Nour (Light) Plan, aiming to enforce hijab laws nationwide in response to what they claim is a "national and public demand." Businesses face closure if they fail to ensure compliance with these regulations among their customers.

Reports from citizens and images circulated on social media suggest that "hijab patrol" vehicles and agents, previously withdrawn from the streets following the death of Mahsa (Jina) Amini while in the custody of the morality police in September 2022, have now resumed operations at full capacity. Amini's death, at the age of 22, sparked extensive protests that persisted for several months.

Since then, there has been a significant increase in the number of unveiled women, even in many traditionally conservative towns and cities.

Social media users have reported several cases of violent arrests including the detention of a teenage girl in Tehran by several male and female officers.

“She had clutched the street railings and was crying. A female officer punched her hand, and the male officer forcefully released her fingers. They dragged her to the [police] van. It was as if they had arrested ISIS [members], the scoundrels!” a citizen report on X Saturday said.

According to the author of the tweet, more than a dozen people who were also present at the scene pleaded with the police to let the girl go, a member of the public even offered the girl a headscarf to wear to convince the police not to arrest her, but the police threatened to use tear gas and arrest them if they persisted. “Eventually the pleadings turned into shouting and swearing.”

Another citizen report on X said the police kicked those who opposed the arrest of a young student on the metro.

Uniformed male officers and black-veiled female hijab enforcers patrolling a busy street in Tehran Saturday

Iranian media also reported the arrest, and eventual release, of the wife and daughter of legendary former goalkeeper of Iran's national soccer team, Ahmadreza Abedzadeh, for appearing unveiled in public in Tehran.

IRGC-linked Fars news agency claimed that the mother and daughter were detained for “causing tension and conflict” with hijab enforces and released later.

Some social media users on Saturday said sarcastically that the regime is taking revenge on Iranian women because it does not have the courage to exact its promised “hard revenge” against Israel.

“Hijab enforcers have poured into the streets and the subway, warning women, and trying to humiliate people on the metro and streets as if their enemy is us women. They are desperate and want to exact the hard revenge on us instead of Israel,” Samaneh Sami, a social scientist and journalist tweeted.

Others say the reason for taking action against women at this particular time is to divert attention from such controversial issues as the possibility of a strike against Israel for attacking the Iranian embassy in Damascus on April 1, the massive depreciation of the national currency and other economic problems, the recent land grab scandal of one of Tehran’s Friday imam, and Theran mayor’s plans to build mosques in parks.

Iranian regime’s direct retaliation against Israel from Iran’s soil establishes beyond any doubt that the ruling clerics are reeking in desperation in the face of Israel’s humiliating April 1 strike.

Israel, escalating its attacks against Iranian targets in Syria, raised the bar and hit a building in Iran’s embassy compound in Damascus, killing seven IRGC officers, who were key in Tehran’s proxy operations. For 13 days, Khamenei was facing a Hobson’s choice.

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