In a bold statement issued on Monday, Iran denounced the threats from the United States and Israel as blatant violations of international law, asserting that such threats could not harm Tehran. This declaration came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jerusalem. During their meeting, Netanyahu emphasized the commitment of both nations to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its influence in the Middle East. He also claimed that Israel, with support from former US President Donald Trump, had delivered a “significant blow” to Iran since the onset of the Gaza conflict.
Responding at a weekly press conference, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghai stated, “When it comes to a state like Iran, they can do nothing.” He criticized the approach of issuing threats while simultaneously claiming to seek negotiations with Iran as unrealistic. Former President Trump had expressed interest in reaching a deal with Tehran while reinstating the “maximum pressure” campaign during his administration to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has criticized the previous US administration for not honoring its commitments. In 2018, Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran, re-imposing sanctions that severely impacted Iran’s economy. A year later, Iran breached the deal’s restrictions by increasing uranium enrichment to 60 percent, edging closer to weapons-grade levels. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.
Despite Baghai’s assertions, Iran’s influence in the region has weakened, and its regional allies, collectively referred to as the “resistance axis,” have been significantly affected since the onset of the Hamas-Israel conflict in Gaza and the downfall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. This axis includes not only Hamas but also Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis, and various Shiite militant groups in Iraq and Syria.
