Iran Issues Warning to Israel Over Attacks on Nuclear and Oil Facilities

On Tuesday, Iran warned Israel against attacking its infrastructure, citing concerns over a potential Israeli strike on oil or nuclear sites following last week’s missile barrage from Iran.

“Any attack against infrastructure in Iran will provoke an even stronger response,” state television quoted Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi as saying.

He spoke after Israel announced it was preparing a response to Iran’s October 1 missile attack, the second on the country in six months.

On Monday, an official statement from Araghchi emphasized that Iran did not seek war in the region.

On Friday, US President Joe Biden warned Israel against attacking oil installations in Iran, a top global crude producer.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps General Rassul Sanairad cautioned on Sunday that any attack on nuclear or energy sites would cross a “red line.”

He noted that some political leaders had discussed a potential shift in Iran’s nuclear policy in response to Israeli threats.

In 2022, after an official stated that Iran had the technical capability to produce a nuclear weapon, the country emphasized that its nuclear ambitions had not changed.

While Iran slowed the pace of its uranium enrichment last year, it accelerated the production of 60 percent enriched uranium in late 2023, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Levels of around 90 percent enrichment are necessary for military use. Iran has consistently denied any intentions to develop a nuclear weapons capability, asserting that its activities are entirely peaceful.

Any attack on Iranian nuclear sites “would have an impact on the kind of response by Iran,”  General Sanairad said.

Tehran stated that its missile attack on Israel, which involved firing around 200 missiles, was in response to the death of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Iran-backed Lebanese movement Hezbollah, and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in a Beirut air strike.

Iran blamed Israel for Haniyeh’s death, but Israel has not commented on the matter.