Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday warned of an immediate and powerful response after Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, was “marked for death.”
In a post on X, Araghchi said the terms of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) were “crystal clear” and accused the United States of failing to restrain Israel.
He warned that any threat against Iran’s leadership or its people would be met with a swift and forceful response.
Katz, meanwhile, said Israel could launch another strike on Iran if it considered it necessary, despite ongoing US-led diplomatic efforts. Speaking at a memorial ceremony for those killed in the 2006 Lebanon war, he said Israel had already carried out two preemptive strikes against Iran and would not hesitate to act again.
The Israeli defence minister also said Israeli forces would remain indefinitely in what he described as “security zones” in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza to protect Israeli communities.
Separately, former Israeli army chief and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of exaggerating Iran’s nuclear capabilities to alarm the Israeli public. According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Eisenkot said Netanyahu’s recent claims about Iran’s nuclear programme were false.