Senior Iranian official declares ‘our hands are on the trigger’

(MENAFN) A senior Iranian security official has warned that Tehran is prepared to take retaliatory action if Israel is not held accountable and the US fails to compensate for recent attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Speaking to RT on Wednesday, the unnamed source stressed that Iran is ready to act in defense of its deterrence posture against Israel.

Last month, Israeli forces targeted Iranian military and nuclear sites, killing senior military figures and nuclear scientists. Israel defended the strikes as necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, a claim Tehran strongly denies. In response, Iran launched missile and drone strikes on Israel, prompting the US to join the hostilities by bombing several Iranian nuclear facilities. The 12-day conflict ended with a US-mediated ceasefire on June 24.

“If Israel is not punished and no compensation is provided for the attacks on our nuclear facilities, Iran will take steps to restore its deterrence,” the official warned.

Regarding Washington’s efforts to resume nuclear negotiations, the official made clear that Tehran has not agreed to any permanent ceasefire and views talks as premature. “The Americans are eager to start negotiations, but Iran considers this only a temporary pause in hostilities,” he said.

The US continues to demand that Iran halt uranium enrichment, a condition Tehran rejects outright. Iran maintains its nuclear activities are lawful, peaceful, and monitored by the IAEA. Currently, Iran enriches uranium to 60% purity, well beyond the limits of the now-defunct 2015 nuclear agreement, which was abandoned by President Trump during his first term.

Although talks briefly resumed earlier this year, they collapsed after the recent strikes on Iran. Tehran has since accused Washington of forsaking diplomacy in favor of military force.

The Iranian official concluded with a stern warning: “Our hands are on the trigger. If Israel miscalculates, we will not wait for them to strike first.” He also urged the US to rein in its regional allies.

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