Iran's response to Israel to be definite, calculated

Former IRGC chief says

TEHRAN, (MNA) – Former IRGC chief Mohsen Rezaei said that Iran would definitely respond to Israel's assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, noting that the country is ready to respond to any action.

In an interview in the Iranian capital on Tuesday, Mohsen Rezaei, former commander-in-chief of the IRGC, told CNN that “the Iranian actions will be very calculated ones.”

Speaking to CNN, Rezaei stressed, “There has to be a ceasefire in Gaza soon.”

“The United States and Israel should not repeat their mistakes. If in the first weeks of the Gaza war the United States had stopped Israel and (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu the war would not extend. So the main element of the extension of the war are the US and Israel. The more this war extends the more the United States will be damaged,” he said.

Regarding Iran’s response to Israel, Rezaei said, “We have investigated the possible repercussions. And we will not let Netanyahu, who is sinking in a swamp, save him himself. The Iranian actions will be very calculated ones.”

He stressed that Iran would take action at the right time and place, and according to Article 51 of the UN Charter, the Islamic Republic has the right to defend itself, and if there is no response, the Zionist regime will continue its aggressive actions, so the response would definitely happen.

In response to the question regarding what the attack would be like and how powerful is Iran, he said that the answer to this question would be revealed after Iran's action.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Rezaei stressed that the reality that the US must face and accept is that it must reconsider its policies in the Middle East.

The US foreign policy in the Middle East is not formulated in Washington but is formulated and designed in Tel Aviv and implemented by White House officials, he said, adding that in fact, Israel gives orders and America executes. "This is nothing but contempt for American power."

"In such a situation, America cannot even be a reliable actor for its other allies. For this reason, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and other American partners in the region have become more inclined towards Russia and China and no longer trust the Americans," he added.

Washington cannot, on the one hand, demand a reduction in tension and, on the other hand, provide full support to the main source of tension, which is Israel, he underlined.

"You cannot ignore the reality of the power of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Historically and geopolitically, Iran is an influential and powerful actor. In the region, we stood against Saddam Hussein's aggression against Iran and Kuwait, and also against terrorism in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and we consider (ensuring) peace and security in the region as our duty."

The US should not stand against Iran's role in generating peace and security in the region, he added.

He further cited that the US is unable to open a new front, especially against Iran, therefore It refuses to clash with the Islamic Republic. "But anyway, we are ready and we will respond to any action."

Ismail Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards were martyred after their residence was targeted in Tehran on July 31, according to a statement released by the IRGC.

Issuing a statement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh was "designed and implemented by the Zionist regime and supported by the criminal government of America."

Reacting to the Israeli act of terror, high-ranking Iranian officials vowed to give a proper response to the Zionist regime, with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei saying, that by assassinating Ismail Haniyeh, the Israeli regime has prepared the ground for harsh punishment for itself.

Earlier in August, the political adviser to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani took to X social media platform, formerly Twitter, to write that preparations have been made to severely punish a regime that only understands the language of force.

The sole goal of the Israeli regime in killing the worshipers of the Al-Tabin school in Gaza and assassinating the martyr Ismail Haniyeh in Iran is to seek war and make the ceasefire negotiations fail, Shamkhani wrote.

Preparations for severe punishment of the Israeli regime have been made following the legal, diplomatic, and media processes, he added.