Iran FM: Any preemptive measure against Zionist regime possible in coming hours

Iran's foreign minister says if the Israeli regime's crimes in the Gaza Strip continue and no political solution is found, the door will be open to whatever possibility, including preemptive measures by the resistance front.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a televised interview on Monday following a regional tour that took him to Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Qatar.

"During my regional trip and meetings that I had with leaders of the resistance front, they believed that an opportunity should be given to political solutions" to end Israel's brutal strikes against the fully blockaded Gaza Strip.

"However, in the event that the Israeli regime's war crimes against civilians continue, any possibility is likely," the foreign minister noted.

The Israeli regime has called up an unprecedented 300,000 reservists, declaring a "long" war on Gaza in response to Operation al-Aqsa Storm. The operation was launched by the Gaza-based Palestinian resistance movements last Saturday in response to the occupying regime's decades-long campaign of bloodshed and destruction against Palestinians.

More than 2,800 Palestinians have so far died and close to 11,000 others been injured during the regime's savage attacks on the besieged territory.

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Noting that all scenarios are open to the resistance groups, including the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, Iran's top diplomat said they have taken all considerations into account in their meticulous calculations.

"The resistance leaders will not allow the Zionist regime to do whatever [it wants] in the region," Iran's foreign minister said, warning, "Every preemptive measure is conceivable in the coming hours."

"If we do not defend Gaza today, we would have to defend our [own] cities," the top diplomat said, citing Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as saying that if the movement did not resort to preemptive action against Israel, "tomorrow, we would have to fight off the Zionist forces in Beirut."

"The issue at hand is that what has happened [in the occupied territories] has been an earthquake in [the ranks of] the Zionist regime," Amir-Abdollahian said, referring to Operation al-Aqsa Storm, which has left some 1,200 Israeli forces and illegal settlers dead and more than 200 others captive.

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The Iranian foreign minister then cited his earlier discussions with some of his counterparts from Muslim countries.

“We have reached the conclusion that if limited and narrow possibilities available to the United Nations are not taken advantage of, the possibility of opening new fronts against the [Israeli] regime is inevitable,” Amir-Abdollahian said.

He added that an extensive war against Israel by the resistance front “will change the geographical map of the al-Quds occupying regime.”

Iran's top diplomat also censured the United States for urging self-restraint in the ongoing war on Gaza, while supporting the Israeli regime at the same time.

“We have clearly told the American sides, and I announce [here] that they cannot call on all parties to show self-restraint, but offer their full support to the Israeli criminals,” Amir-Abdollahian said.

"The time for America [to send] such messages is coming to an end," he said, adding, "I warn you to stop the bloodshed of women and children [in Gaza] instead of sending hypocritical messages."

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