Iranian foreign minister says another Israeli strike on Iran will lead to 'large-scale war'

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday warned of a “large-scale war” if Israel decides to strike Iran. 

“We are fully prepared for the possibility of further Israeli attacks,” Araghchi said in an interview with the Chinese state-controlled news outlet CCTV. “I hope Israel will refrain from taking such reckless action, as it could lead to a large-scale war.”

"We maintain contact with other Middle Eastern countries and continue to consult with our allies such as China," Araghchi said. 

On Oct. 26, Israel launched Operation “Days of Repentance,” a large-scale aerial strike on multiple strategic Iranian military sites. It was an Israeli response to Iran’s large missile attack on Israel on Oct. 1. Some 100 Israeli Air Force planes took part in the aerial strike that destroyed much of Iran’s aerial defenses and missile production capabilities. 

The Iranian regime initially downplayed the extensive damage following the Israeli airstrike. Once satellite data revealed the extent of the Israeli strikes, Iran began threatening to strike Israel again. However, more than two months after the Israeli strike, Iran has still not launched a direct response from its own territory.

Araghchi also addressed the fall of the Syrian Assad regime, a key ally of the Iranian regime, stating that the rebellion against Assad happened “quickly” and “was not expected.”

He claimed he does not want Syria to become "a gathering place and shelter for terrorists, and Syria should not become a threat to its neighbors and regional countries."

"The situation in Syria should be decided by the Syrian people themselves," he added. 

The Iranian regime has used Syria as a terror base against Israel and a threat to the entire Middle East region. The Assad regime was responsible for the deaths of approximately half a million Syrians, with millions becoming refugees during the civil war in 2011.

Syria under the dictatorship of President Bashar al-Assad played a critical role in Iran's extensive arming of its main terror proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, and its ambition to establish a Shiite imperial corridor between Tehran and the Mediterranean Sea. 

In his interview on Saturday, Araghchi also addressed the rise of the new Syrian government, led by Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. 

"How we treat the new Syrian leadership depends on how it acts. Iran is completely well-intentioned. Iran hopes that Syria will stabilize. We hope to help Syria stabilize and ensure the safety of all ethnic groups in Syria, including Shiites, Sunnis, Arabs, and Kurds," he said. 

Turning to Lebanon, Araghchi praised Hezbollah forces.

"Israel was forced to accept a ceasefire because of Hezbollah's resolute resistance to Israel's ground offensive in southern Lebanon and because Hezbollah caused casualties in the Israeli army," he stated. "The resistance movement still has a bright future, and Hezbollah is rebuilding itself in a careful manner."

However, the Iranian foreign minister’s claims are not supported by facts from Lebanon. The ceasefire was preceded by Israel carrying out devastating blows that decapitated most of Hezbollah’s leadership including the elimination of its top leader Hassan Nasrallah. Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant estimated in October that the Israeli military had destroyed some 80% of Hezbollah’s vast rocket and missile arsenal. 

“The achievements of the IDF in Lebanon are extremely impressive. We have eliminated the chain of command and control of Hezbollah, and I estimate the missile and rocket capability they have left is at 20%,” Gallant stated in October. The collapse of the Assad regime has also made it much more difficult for Tehran to rearm the severely degraded Hezbollah. 

The Iranian foreign minister concluded by addressing the upcoming second term of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, stating it was "very regrettable that the United States decided to withdraw from the Iranian nuclear agreement without any reason."

"The US withdrawal from the comprehensive agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue was a strategic mistake on the part of the United States," he argued. However, Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other critics of the Iran deal have argued the agreement rewarded Iran, offering the regime with a path towards nuclear weapons. 

The emerging Trump administration appears to be dominated by individuals who embrace hawkish policies against the Iranian regime. 

In December, incoming National Security Advisor Mike Waltz vowed to return to “maximum pressure” on the Iranian ayatollah regime. 

“We have to constrain their cash. We have to constrain their oil. We have to go back to maximum pressure, number one, which was working under the first Trump administration,” Waltz told Fox News.