TEHRAN: Iran’s atomic energy agency on Wednesday said that an Israeli attack on its key nuclear sites is “very unlikely,” and assured that any potential damage could be quickly compensated.
The comments come amidst heightened tensions following Iran’s missile barrage against Israel earlier this month.
“It is very unlikely to happen,” said Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, in a video interview with Nournews.
Kamalvandi stressed that any such attack would not succeed, and even if some damage were inflicted, Iran would recover quickly.
“If they (Israel) do such a stupid thing, it is very unlikely that they will cause serious damage to us, and even if we assume that they can cause some damage, the country can quickly compensate for it,” he added.
The remarks were made ahead of an anticipated Israeli response to Iran’s firing of around 200 missiles at Israeli targets on October 1.
Tehran justified the strike as retaliation for the assassination of top Hamas and Hezbollah leaders in recent months.
The missile attack followed an Israeli airstrike on September 27 that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and top IRGC general Abbas Nilforoushan in Beirut. Israel has also been blamed for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant vowed that Israel’s retaliation would be “deadly, precise, and surprising.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that Israel would make its own decisions on how to retaliate, despite US President Joe Biden cautioning Israel against attacking Iran’s nuclear or oil infrastructure.
Iran has warned that any strike on its “infrastructure” would cross a red line, with Revolutionary Guards General Rassul Sanairad promising an even stronger response in the event of an attack on nuclear or energy sites.
