Iran reserves right to react to Israeli strikes, welcomes Lebanon ceasefire, foreign minister says

Tehran reserves the right to react Israeli airstrikes last month on Iran but also bears in mind other developments in the region, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday.

Araghchi told reporters during a trip to Lisbon that Iran welcomed Tuesday's ceasefire agreement in Lebanon and hoped it could lead to a permanent ceasefire. The ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah came into effect on Wednesday under an agreement brokered by the United States and France.

Asked whether the ceasefire could lead to an easing of tensions between Israel and Iran, he said: "It depends on the behavior of Israel."

"Of course, we reserve the right to react to the recent Israeli aggression, but we do consider all developments in the region," he said.

Israel struck targets in Iran on October 26 in retaliation for an Iranian missile barrage against Israel on October 1.

Iran claims it prepares to retaliate

Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader, said in an interview published by Iran's Tasnim news agency on Sunday that his country was preparing to "respond" to Israel.

Although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Hezbollah had been "set back decades," Araqchi said the armed group had not been weakened by Israel's killing of many of its leaders since January and by its ground offensive against the group since early October.

He said Hezbollah had been able to reorganize and fight back effectively.

"This is the main reason why Israel accepted the ceasefire ... every time [Hezbollah] lose their leaders or their commanders, they become bigger in both numbers and their strength," he said.

His remarks echoed comments by a senior Hezbollah official, Hassan Fadlallah, who said the group would emerge from the war stronger and more numerous.

In a post on X/Twitter, Araqhchi said: "Hezbollah once again shattered (the) myth of Israel's invincibility. High time for Israel to accept defeat in Gaza too."

Separately, Iranian state media said Iran's foreign ministry had rejected as "baseless" a statement by the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven countries demanding that Tehran cease all support for Russia's war against Ukraine.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow and Tehran have deepened their military and economic cooperation.