Iran reiterated its threat of a “nightmare” attack on Israel on Monday, following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in late July. This comes as international concerns grow over Iran’s unchecked nuclear program, which has been running for over three years.
Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Hossein Salami said “the nightmare of Iran’s inevitable response is shaking Israel day and night,” citing Saudi-owned news outlet Al-Arabiya.
Salami reportedly claimed that Israeli leaders are anxious about the ambiguous threat of what will be a “painful and different” attack than “what you expec[t].”
Despite Salami’s ominous tone, Iran has been issuing similar threats to Israel for over a month, starting with a visit to Tehran on July 31.
Iran has blamed Israel for the assassination, claiming a precision strike missile was used, although Jerusalem has not taken responsibility for the killing.
The U.S., along with other Middle Eastern nations, have warned Tehran against attacking Israel amid fears of a broader regional war. However, concerns persist that Iran could launch retaliatory strikes through Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based terrorist organization it has supported for decades.
Nissim Vaturi, a member of Israel’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the Knesset, said on Monday that he believes a war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon is “just a matter of days” away.
Vaturi argued that Israel should take a proactive approach and preemptively strike Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon with a series of airstrikes followed by a ground invasion. Experts have warned that such a scenario could result in casualties exceeding those incurred during past conflicts.
“I think it’s time to deal with the north,” he said, according to The Times of Israel. “Our patience has run out.
“There’s no other way,” he continued, adding that Beirut’s Dahiyeh suburb — a major stronghold for Hezbollah outside the capital city — “will look like Gaza.”
Iran has not specified how it intends to retaliate against Israel, but its reported supply of ballistic missiles to Hezbollah has kept security experts on high alert.
Iran is currently under international sanctions, but a warning issued by the United Nations nuclear watchdog on Monday once again highlighted the fact that Tehran’s nuclear program has been unchecked for the past three and a half years.
“It has been more than three and a half years since Iran stopped implementing its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA,” Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Mariano Grossi told the agency’s board of directors. “Therefore, it is also over three and a half years since the Agency was able to conduct complementary access in Iran.
“Consequently, the Agency has lost continuity of knowledge in relation to the production and inventory of centrifuges, rotors and bellows, heavy water and uranium ore concentrate,” he added.
Grossi stated that Iran has increased its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium metals, reaching 60% enrichment – just short of the levels needed to produce weapons-grade uranium, which is enriched to 90% purity.
“There has been no progress in resolving the outstanding safeguards issues,” he said, pointing to Iran’s false claims that it has declared all nuclear activities, materials and locations. “I call upon Iran to implement the Joint Statement through serious engagement with the Agency’s concrete proposals.”
Rossi said he called on new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to abide by agreements made under a March 4, 2023 joint statement and urged the president to meet with him in the “not too distant future” so the pair could “establish a constructive dialogue that leads swiftly to real results.”
The European Union (EU) on Monday further accused Iran of providing short-range ballistic missiles to Russia to support its war effort against Ukraine, citing “credible” information from allied nations.
The EU is reportedly still investigating the information, but EU spokesman Peter Stano said if Iran is found to have provided these weapons to Moscow, the response would be “swift” and would include “new and significant restrictive measures against Iran.”
The Kremlin on Monday did not directly deny receiving the missiles, which are capable of carrying nuclear, chemical, and conventional warheads.