Asharq Al-Awsat: Tehran tells Israel it will not respond to a limited attack

As Asharq Al-Awsat reported, diplomatic sources revealed on Friday that Iran had finally sent a message to Israel through European intermediaries regarding its possible response to a future Israeli attack.

According to the sources, “Iranian communications, primarily directed indirectly at Israel, indicate that, despite the implicit threat, Tehran would be willing to ignore a limited Israeli attack and refrain from retaliating.”

The sources further explained that the real concern lies in the last part of the message, where Iran warns: “Tehran would have no choice but to respond decisively and cross previously established red lines should it face a significant attack on its critical oil infrastructure “or nuclear energy plants.”

The Iranian government is reportedly extremely nervous and is making urgent diplomatic efforts with Middle Eastern countries to see if they can limit the scope of Israel's possible response to the rocket attack earlier this month, CNN cited sources familiar with the matter.

According to the sources, Tehran's concerns stem from uncertainty over whether the US can persuade Israel not to attack Iranian nuclear sites and oil facilities. They also highlight concerns about the weakening of Hezbollah, Iran's main proxy in the region, which has been significantly affected by recent Israeli military operations.

US-based analyst Alex Vatanka said on Iran International's Eye for Iran podcast this week that tThe Islamic Republic is extremely concerned about an attack on its nuclear facilities, because the nuclear program is the only major achievement in 45 years.

Anticipating a retaliation from Israel, Iran urged its Arab neighbors not to allow Israel to use their airspace, two Arab diplomats told NBC News on Friday.

“The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has no interest in getting caught in the crossfire,” a diplomat said. “Our focus was on de-escalation.”

Many Arab countries, including Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, host U.S. bases and key oil facilities, raising regional concerns that these sites could become targets. However, the second diplomat noted that it was unlikely that an Arab nation would allow Israel to use its airspace to attack Iran.

Reports emerged earlier this week that regional countries and the United States were discussing a general ceasefire agreement, but the US State Department denied those reports on Wednesday. “To my knowledge, there is no such plan or proposal. I obviously can't talk about what other countries may or may not be developing on their own, which isn't to say that it's happening, but certainly no one has approached the United States to address such a proposal, nor are we doing so in discussions with all countries on such a proposal,” said the ministry spokesman.