President Raeisi: Iran to make Israel rue 'slightest attack'

President Ebrahim Raeisi says Iran will make Israel and its supporters regret the "slightest attack" amid reports that Tel Aviv was "making a decision to act" against the Islamic Republic.

"If the Zionist regime makes a mistake again and tries to carry out the slightest attack on the holy land of the Islamic Republic, we will respond in such a way that will make Israel and its supporters regret it," he told people at a stadium in the central city of Shahroud on Thursday.

The president touched on the world's largest ever drone and missile strike carried out by Iran to "punish" Israel for its assassination of Iranian military advisors at the country's consular section in Damascus.

"America and the Zionist regime thought they could harm our dignity by attacking our consulate, which is considered the territory of our country. But when they committed the crime, they should have been punished and the great nation of Iran punished them," he said.

President Raeisi said the time for bullying is over as he touched on his talks with Western leaders about reviving a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.

The nuclear agreement officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) has been hanging by a thread since 2018 when the US unilaterally abandoned it.

Raeisi ruled out any inclusion of Iran's missile and other military capabilities in any possible negotiations.

"In negotiations with some Western countries, whether in person or over the phone, I have said, 'Don't speak to us and our nation with the language of force.' Our nation has rationality, planning, logic and speech.

"If you are open to talk and negotiation, we have not and will not leave the negotiating table. But if you want to speak to the Iranian nation with the language of force and bullying, you should know that the great nation of Iran and its statesmen will stand up to you with power," he said, addressing the Western countries.

"Gone is the time when some people wanted to deal on our missiles and capabilities. We will never allow any deal on the capabilities of the Iranian nation, which were obtained thanks to the blood of the martyrs," he said. 

President Raeisi also reiterated Iran's support for the Palestinian people.

"Today, the entire Islamic world and the world of humanity has come to realize the righteousness of the Islamic Republic's position in defense of Palestine and opposition to the oppressive Zionist regime," he said.

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