Tehran [Iran], October 11: Iran is fully prepared to retaliate against any potential Israeli attack, a source in Tehran told RT on October 10.
The source explained that Iran's retaliation against a potential Israeli attack would be proportionate and based on domestic and international regulations. For example, if Israel targeted Iran's oil infrastructure, Tehran would respond by attacking three major refineries in that country, the source told RT.
Attacks on other infrastructure, such as power plants or nuclear facilities, would also lead to retaliatory attacks on corresponding facilities in Israel, the source said.
The source added that in case any civilians are harmed in a potential attack or civilian areas are targeted, Tehran would consider amending its nuclear doctrine. The source did not elaborate.
Meanwhile, three Gulf sources told Reuters on October 10 that Gulf states were lobbying the United States to prevent Israel from attacking Iranian oil sites because they feared their oil facilities could be attacked by Tehran's proxies if the conflict escalated.
The White House declined to comment when asked whether Gulf governments had made the request to Washington. US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed Israel's retaliation on October 9 in a phone call that both sides described as positive, according to Reuters.
"The Gulf states' concerns could be an important talking point with their Israeli counterparts in trying to convince Israel to carry out a carefully considered retaliation," said Jonathan Panikoff, a former US deputy national intelligence officer for the Middle East and now at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington DC.
Fears of an imminent Israeli attack on Iran emerged after Tehran launched around 200 missiles at Israel on the evening of October 1. Iran said the attack was in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July and the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last month in Lebanon. Iran warned Israel against taking any retaliatory steps as this would only prompt a series of further attacks.
Calling the attack on the evening of October 1 "aggressive but inaccurate", Israel vowed to respond decisively to the attack. "Our attack on Iran will be deadly, precise and unexpected, Iran will not know what happened or how it happened. They will only see the results," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned on October 9.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper