Speaking at a gathering of commanders and officers of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday, Araghchi said in order to prevent war, it is necessary to “clearly declare your strength and readiness and show that you are ready to fight.”
“What prevents war from happening is actually readiness for war, and it should be noted that if the slightest sign of fear is shown in a situation where there is a threat of war, you have actually imposed war on yourself,” he asserted.
He also said Iran reserves the right to respond to Israel’s latest act of aggression against the country and will act at an appropriate time and in a manner it sees fit.
The foreign minister said the IRGC’s operations True Promise 1 and True Promise 2 were Iran’s defensive reactions to previous acts of aggression committed by the Zionist regime.
“We officially announced to the international community that the recent aggression of the Zionist regime is a new aggression and deserves a response,” he said.
According to Araghchi, Iran has acted in a calculated and calm manner in the last 12 months or so in order to avoid the expansion of the war.
However, he contended that it is important to respond to the Israeli regime’s acts of aggression so that they do not conclude they can get away with attacking the Islamic Republic.
Over the last several months, Israel has targeted Iran’s diplomatic mission in Syria, assassinated former Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, assassinated Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and a top Iranian general in Beirut, and launched a direct airstrike on three Iranian provinces.
Iran, for its part, has so far carried out two major retaliatory operations against the Tel Aviv regime, asserting that it reserves the right to respond to the regime’s criminal acts that are in violation of the country’s national security and territorial integrity.
IRNA