Iran’s parliament speaker warns of response to Israel

Hossein Shariatmadari, the editor of the flagship hardliner newspaper -- which is funded by the Supreme Leader, urged a swift response to Israel’s recent attack, dismissing suggestions to refrain from retaliation.

In an editorial, he argued that hesitating to respond would only encourage further aggression from the US and Israel, describing such restraint as an open invitation to future attacks against Iran.

In his first response to Saturday’s Israeli attack on Iran’s military installations, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei struck a cautious tone, refraining from an outright call for retaliation.

In a statement on X, Presidential Advisor Mohammad Javad Zarif urged Western nations to shift from their paradigms and condemn Israel’s recent aggression.

“The West should move away from its outdated and dangerous paradigm. It must condemn Israel’s recent acts of aggression and join Iran in efforts to end the apartheid, genocide, and violence in Palestine and Gaza, and in Lebanon,” Zarif said about two days after Israel’s airstrikes on missile sites and anti-aircraft capabilities in and around the capital Tehran and in Iran's southwest.

He called on global powers to support Iran’s efforts to end the violence in Gaza, and Lebanon, emphasizing that recognizing Iran's commitment to peace represents a unique opportunity that should not be missed.

“Recognizing Iran’s confident resolve for peace is essential; this unique opportunity should not be missed.”

In his first response to Saturday’s Israeli attack on Iran’s military installations, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei struck a cautious tone, refraining from an outright call for retaliation.

“The malicious act by the Zionist regime two nights ago should neither be exaggerated nor underestimated. The Zionist regime’s miscalculations must be disrupted, and the power, will, and initiative of the Iranian nation and its youth must be made clear to them,” Khamenei stated.

Despite being Iran’s commander-in-chief with control over security and foreign policy, Khamenei appeared to distance himself from decisions on a potential response. According to Tasnim News, which is affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, Khamenei emphasized, “It is up to the officials to determine how best to convey the strength and resolve of the Iranian nation to the Zionist regime, and whatever is in the best interest of this nation and country should be carried out.”

Commercial satellite imagery showed that Israeli airstrikes hit buildings during an attack on Saturday that Iran used for mixing solid fuel for ballistic missiles, according to separate assessments by two American researchers.

The judgments were reached by David Albright, a former UN weapons inspector who heads the Institute for Science and International Security research group, and Decker Eveleth, an associate research analyst at CNA, a Washington think tank.

They told Reuters separately that Israel struck Parchin, a massive military complex near Tehran. Israel also hit Khojir, according to Eveleth, a sprawling missile production site near Tehran.

Reuters reported in July that Khojir was undergoing massive expansion.

Eveleth said the Israeli strikes may have "significantly hampered Iran's ability to mass produce missiles."

A Hebrew caption on a new mural installed in Tehran's Palestine Square reads, 'Another storm is coming,' according to images published by Iran's state-run media, hours after Israeli airstrikes against multiple Iranian military sites.

The first 'storm' is believed to refer to the October 7 attack launched by Iran-backed Hamas militants, during which around 1,200 Israelis were killed. That operation was dubbed 'Al-Aqsa Storm' or 'Al-Aqsa Flood'.