Iran is currently preparing a response to Israel’s recent military aggression, according to Ali Larijani, an advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, who is convinced that Israel cannot prevail in the wars it is fighting.
In an interview with Tasnim News Agency, closely linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Larijani clarified that they are currently engaged in analyzing possible measures and strategies on how to act in the conflict with Israel.
– That (restoring deterrence) is a key issue. Relevant authorities are pursuing the issue carefully to ensure that Iran’s (future) response to Israel fulfill these specifications.
– In general this is an issue that we should allow relevant military officials to take the right decision. I know that they are thinking about different ways to reach that (decision), he continued.
“Israel is making a miscalculation”
Larijani referred to Ayatollah Khamenei’s statement on October 27, in which the Supreme Leader stressed the importance of addressing and changing Israel’s perception of Iran.
– They’re making a miscalculation with respect to Iran… our officials should be the ones to assess and precisely apprehend what needs to be done and do whatever is in the best interests of this country and nation. They (the enemy) must be made to realize who the Iranian people are and what the Iranian youth are like, Iran’s Supreme Leader proclaimed.
During his recent visit to Syria and Lebanon, Mr. Larijani delivered messages from Mr. Khamenei to the leaders of these countries. He said that these messages contained important points about the situation in the region and that factors that had led to success in the past in the fight against Israel must be preserved and strengthened.
“Cannot rely on plots”
Larijani also commented on alleged plans by Israel and the US to revive terrorist groups in southern Syria to destabilize the government of President Bashar al-Assad. He dismissed these as ineffective and stressed that the Syrian authorities are aware of the situation.
– It is possible that they will do so, because the Hezbollah forces were able to practically repel the Israeli forces with their resistance; so they (Israelis) are not successful in Lebanon and therefore it is necessary for them to show misconducts elsewhere.
– They cannot reach their goal by relying on such plots, he added.
“Netanyahu is confused”
Larijani also rejected claims that Hezbollah had weakened following the loss of key leaders such as Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, stressing that the resistance movement remains strong, and that discussions about its weakening reflect only an initial phase in Lebanon’s security development.
– Now, if someone looks at the situation on the ground carefully, they will see that Netanyahu is now confused in the political-security scene because he has been continuously pressing for about 40 days (militarily)… but when you look at the operation on the ground, you see that he cannot advance.
– Hezbollah has extraordinary capacity. With such a young people that I met in Lebanon, I became confident that by God’s grace they will be victorious, because they have high morale, and morale is the main issue in war, he continued.
Hoping for diplomacy
The US and its allies have long pressured Iran with sanctions of various kinds. While Larijani says these have not been as successful as Western leaders expected, he hopes that hostilities can be replaced by negotiations and diplomacy at some point in the future.
– The Americans, even the administration of Biden, have been blocking Iran’s oil sales as much as they could. But it was Iran that found ways to sell its oil.
– However, I should emphasize that I’m not saying that we would welcome such conditions and the new sanctions. No. In my mind, the best way for all of us is the course of negotiations and settlement of the problem. This will serve our national interest and benefit the Westerners as well, even the US.
