Iran preparing to respond to Israel's Oct. 26 attack - Khamenei's aide

Iranian authorities are preparing to respond to Israel's October 26 attack on the Islamic Republic's military sites, an advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Sunday.

"Military officials are planning various strategies to respond to Israel," Ali Larijani said in an interview with the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News.

Iran has been threatening to retaliate against Israel over the air strikes, which according to Israeli and US officials, knocked out Iran's last three Russian-provided S-300 air defense missile systems and left the country "naked".

Larijani's remarks came shortly after the body of an Israeli rabbi was found in the United Arab Emirates following his abduction by an allegedly Iran-linked cell, giving rise to suspicions that his assassination may be related to Tehran's plan to avenge the Israeli attacks.

Washington's 'shadow war' against Iran

In his Sunday interview, Larijani accused the United States of orchestrating the Israeli actions in the Middle East, including its operations against Iran.

"Israel was counting on the United States' support when planning its operation against Iran, with many US resources and aircraft operating in the region to assist them," he said.

"It can be said with certainty that the Americans are orchestrating events here. But why are they doing this? Because they prefer to engage in a "shadow war," staying out of sight while pushing others into the forefront," the senior advisor to Khamenei said.

He also called on the incoming administration of Donald Trump to stop its support for Israel and prevent what he called the tarnishing of the US image in the region.

"It seems that the United States and its current leadership, which has undergone changes, need to gain a proper understanding of the situation. The officials of the Zionist regime (Israel) are drowning themselves and dragging the Americans down with them, tarnishing the US's reputation in the region," he said.

Trump’s incoming administration plans to revive its “maximum pressure” policy to “bankrupt” Iran’s capacity to support its so-called Axis of Resistance and pursue nuclear development, The Financial Times reported last week.

Trump’s team is preparing executive orders for his first day in office that would tighten existing sanctions and introduce new ones on Iran’s oil exports, the FT report said citing unnamed sources.