Iran still determined to retaliate after Israeli strikes, top diplomat says

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi asserted that the Islamic Republic will respond to an October 26 series of airstrikes by Israel but said the retaliation will be calculated and executed under the right circumstances.

Araghchi was speaking with the Tehran-affiliated Al-Mayadeen television as Iran was censured at the meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency for its lack of cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.

The foreign minister asserted that “Israel is well aware that the Islamic Republic poses the most significant threat to its regime.” Clearly linking Tehran and its proxies, he added, “The Resistance is not merely an organizational structure or an institution comprised of leaders and fighters; it is an ideology and a school of thought with broad social foundations.”

The Islamic government in Iran has yet to conduct a military response to Israel’s October 26 airstrikes on its air defenses and military installations. The attack marked the latest in a series of tit-for-tat exchanges between the two arch-enemies in the Middle East, following over a year of conflict between Israel and Iranian proxies; Hamas, Hezbollah, Yemeni Houthis and a variety of militia groups in Syria and Iraq.

Araghchi further emphasized that the Hamas movement remains steadfast, and that halting the war would represent a major defeat for the Zionist regime, which is why it opposes all ceasefire proposals. He added, "I have no doubt that the end of this battle will be a victory for the Resistance."

On Friday, chief commander of the Revolutionary Guard, Hossein Salami warned that the continuation of regional conflict can only result in Israel’s destruction.

Speaking at the venue of large drills by the IRGC’s Basij forces in southwestern Iran, Salami said, “Israeli officials are unsettled and demoralized, their army is exhausted, while, in contrast, Hezbollah and the resistance front have been energized.”

Salami is notorious for frequently issuing threats and declaring victories, a tactic some observers believe is intended to bolster morale among the government’s military and security ranks. Since September, Iran and its allies have suffered significant setbacks from Israel, which has launched an offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon and carried out a series of targeted assassinations of key leaders.

Salami reassured supporters in his speech that Israel’s destruction is a certainty and stressed that Iran’s allies remain strong, facing a weakened Israel.

At the same time, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sharply criticized the International Criminal Court for issuing his arrest warrant, calling it an antisemitic act.

“No outrageous anti-Israel decision will prevent us — and it will not prevent me — from continuing to defend our country in every way,” Netanyahu said, referring to the Islamic Republic in a video statement. “We will not yield to pressure,” he declared.