Iran reportedly looking to avoid major reprisal from Israel over ballistic missile attacks – while at the same time preparing major attacks on Israel and international energy supplies, in the event of an Israeli attack.
By World Israel News Staff
The Iranian military is preparing for an unprecedented attack on both Israel and international trade and energy supplies, even as Tehran hopes to avoid a major escalation with the Jewish state, The New York Times reported on Thursday.
Citing four Iranian officials – including two officers in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – who spoke with the paper by telephone earlier this week, the Times report claimed that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has instructed the Iranian military to draft plans for various possible attacks on not only Israeli targets, but also ships carrying goods – in particular, oil – through the Persian Gulf.
Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1st, prompting Israel to vow a major retaliation.
While Tehran has reportedly signaled via interlocutors that it will not respond to a symbolic Israeli retaliation, according to the Times report, Iran is at the same time gearing up to strike should an Israeli attack cross one of Tehran’s red lines.
According to the report, Iran’s leadership will order a major reprisal should Israel strike Iran’s nuclear program, cause major damage to the country’s oil or natural gas production, or assassinates senior Iranian leaders.
Some of the possible Iranian reprisal attacks under consideration are an upscaled ballistic missile attack, dwarfing the April 13th and October 1st attacks, which including some 120 and 180 ballistic missile launches respectively.
The Iranian officials cited said that Tehran could launch a barrage of up to 1,000 ballistic missiles in the next strike.
In addition, proxy groups working on behalf of Iran, including Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, and various militia groups operating out of Iraq and Syria, could also attack Israel.
Furthermore, Iran is considering attacks on international trade, in particular oil tankers traveling through the Persian Gulf.
“In the event of an Israeli attack, the shape of our response will be proportionate and calculated,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, told Russian reporters on Wednesday.