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Iran has warned that it may carry out a pre-emptive strike against its adversaries, signalling a potential escalation in regional tensions, according to a statement issued on Tuesday by the newly formed Iranian Defence Council.
In the statement, the council said any interference in Iran’s internal affairs or attempts to destabilise the country would be met with a decisive response. It stressed that Tehran would not restrict its actions to responding only after an attack, but would also take into account what it described as “tangible indicators of threats” as part of its security calculations.
The warning comes two days after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps conducted military exercises involving air defence systems and missile units, aimed at testing readiness levels.
The statement was issued amid heightened internal pressures, as Iranian security forces seek to contain widespread protests driven by inflation and the sharp depreciation of the national currency.
The Iranian Defence Council, which was established following the June 2015 war between Iran and Israel, said that Iran’s security, independence and territorial integrity constitute “a red line that cannot be crossed”.
“Any aggression or continued hostile behaviour will be met with a suitable, decisive and harsh response,” the statement said, adding: “Whoever attacks you must be attacked in kind,” without explicitly naming any specific adversary.
Iran’s state-run English-language newspaper, Tehran Times, also referred to the possibility of what it described as “pre-emptive self-defence”, reinforcing the message conveyed by the council.
The remarks are likely to heighten concerns over further escalation between Iran and Israel, amid an already volatile regional security environment.
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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
