Iran will abandon military restraint and open new battlefronts if another war erupts with Israel, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Tuesday, as both sides signal that another conflict may be near.
“In the next possible war, our restraint will end,” Ghalibaf told parliament. “New geographic areas and targets will be added to our response. And if the enemy overreaches again, the war could expand into economic and political arenas as well.”
Ghalibaf said Iran’s military had learned from the June war, addressed weaknesses, and was ready to act more forcefully. He cited recent naval missile drills as a message to prevent “enemy miscalculation.”
“Our armed forces have planned in a way that leaves no room for misjudgment,” he said. “That exercise made clear: the next conflict will not be limited in scope.”
His remarks came days after former Israeli intelligence officer Jacques Neriah said a second round of conflict with Iran is “imminent,” warning Tehran may soon act to restore its deterrence. “The Iranians will not be able to live with this humiliation for long,” he said.
Military rhetoric hardens as both sides prepare for escalation
Ghalibaf’s comments come amid a series of increasingly combative statements from Iranian and Israeli military leaders following the 12-day war in June.
Iran’s Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said last week that Tehran had developed a new generation of missiles with greater capabilities than those used during the conflict. “The missiles we used in the 12-day war were built several years ago. Today we possess missiles with far better capabilities, and if the Zionist enemy embarks on another adventure, we will certainly use them,” he told reporters in Tehran.
Nasirzadeh said Iranian forces relied entirely on domestically produced systems during the war and accused Israeli media of hiding the damage caused. “The world saw that the missiles we used struck their targets and inflicted heavy losses on the Zionist enemy,” he said. He said Israel’s defense systems, including US-made THAAD and Patriot batteries, had failed to intercept most of Iran’s missiles by the end of the war.
“In the early days, about 40% of our missiles were intercepted, but by the end of the war, 90% were striking their targets,” Nasirzadeh said. “This showed that our experience was growing while the defensive power of the other side was decreasing.”
Adding to the pressure, senior IRGC general and Supreme Leader adviser Yahya Rahim Safavi said earlier this month that Iran is still in a “stage of war” with Israel and the United States. He warned that Iran was preparing for multiple forms of confrontation — not only military, but also cyber, diplomatic and media-based — and urged the country to build strength across all domains to prevent further aggression.
The June conflict began with a surprise Israeli strike on Iranian military and nuclear sites on June 13. Tehran said 1,062 people were killed, including 786 military personnel and 276 civilians. Israel said it killed more than 30 senior Iranian security officials and 11 nuclear scientists. Iran retaliated with missile strikes that killed 31 civilians and one off-duty Israeli soldier.
