Raisi says Iran made Israeli regret ‘slightest attack’

Speaking in the city of Shahroud on Thursday, he noted that “if the Zionist regime makes a mistake again and tries to carry out the slightest attack on the holy land of the Islamic Republic, we will respond in such a way that will make Israel and its supporters regret it.”

In an attempt to “punish” Israel for targeting Iranian military advisors at the nation’s consulate in Damascus, the president mentioned Iran’s largest-ever drone and missile strike.

“America and the Zionist regime thought they could harm our dignity by attacking our consulate, which is considered the territory of our country. But when they committed the crime, they should have been punished and the great nation of Iran punished them,” Raisi added.

Speaking briefly on his discussions with Western officials about resurrecting a 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, President Raisi said that the days of bullying were over.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the formal name for the nuclear accord, has been in shambles since the U.S. abruptly withdrew from it in 2018.

Raisi rejected the idea of bringing up Iran’s missile program and other military capabilities at any potential talks.

“In negotiations with some Western countries, whether in person or over the phone, I have said, ‘Don’t speak to us and our nation with the language of force.’ Our nation has rationality, planning, logic and speech.”

Addressing the Western countries, he continued by saying that “if you are open to talk and negotiation, we have not and will not leave the negotiating table. But if you want to speak to the Iranian nation with the language of force and bullying, you should know that the great nation of Iran and its statesmen will stand up to you with power.”

“Gone is the time when some people wanted to make deals on our missiles and capabilities. We will never allow any deal on the capabilities of the Iranian nation, which were obtained thanks to the blood of the martyrs,” he pointed out.

President Raisi also reiterated Tehran’s support for the Palestinian people while adding that “today, the entire Islamic world and the world of humanity has come to realize the righteousness of the Islamic Republic’s position in defense of Palestine and opposition to the oppressive Zionist regime.”

At a meeting with Sheikh Ali al-Khatib, vice president of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council of Lebanon, on Tuesday in Tehran, Raisi said that the Zionists in charge of the Israeli regime won’t realize the full scope and severity of Iran’s military reaction until they choose to launch another assault on Iran.

“If there is any miscalculation, the Zionists and their backers will understand the significance of Iran’s genuine and comprehensive reaction,” Raisi declared.

The president stated that today the correctness of the position of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the inefficiency of the approach of compromise and submission regarding the Palestinian issue and the effectiveness of resistance in confronting the domination and oppression has been proven to everyone, and said, “Today’s bloody picture of Gaza is a picture without a mask and the manifestation of the truth of Western civilization and American culture.”