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Tehran’s Friday Prayers leader, Ahmad Khatami, warned that Iran stands ready to respond forcefully to any attack from Israel, echoing recent statements from Islamic Revolutionary Guard leaders.
"If Israel makes a wrong move, it will be struck by the True Promise Operation 3," Khatami said during his sermon on Friday.
Often called a hardline cleric, Khatami referenced a Quranic verse, stating, "God says in Surah An-Nisa, verse 71, to always be prepared. The enemy wants you to be negligent in this matter." He emphasized that the verse encourages "military, cultural, economic, psychological, and all kinds of preparedness."
Earlier this year, Iran carried out its first direct strike on Israeli territory, which Tehran labeled "Operation True Promise." The April 13 attack involved over 350 drones and missiles, of which 99% were intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition, according to Israeli sources.
The state’s second strike, on October 1 and referred to as "Operation True Promise 2," involved 181 missiles and was carried out in retaliation for the assassinations of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut and Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Although most missiles were intercepted, a few struck military targets, causing minor damage. After the initial April attack, Israel responded with airstrikes on an air defense site in central Iran.
In the city of Qom, another hardline cleric and Friday Prayers leader shared a similar perspective, saying that past compromises with adversaries have proven ineffective.
“Resistance has a cost, but what endures, holds value, and earns God's satisfaction is resistance,” Imam Mohammad Saeedi stated.
Meanwhile, Ayatollah Hossein Noori Hamedani, a senior figure in Iran's Shiite clerical hierarchy, expressed concern over apparent divisions within the seminary, suggesting that some voices may be supporting the recognition of Israel’s existence.
"We will not allow, under these difficult conditions in Lebanon and Palestine, for some within the seminary to speak of a supposedly independent country," Noori said on Friday.
“The seminary must uphold its authentic traditions and emphasize preserving the people's faith and the nation's greatness. There should be no division within the seminary,” he added.
While the anticipated Israeli attack reportedly expected before the US presidential election on November 5, Tehran has intensified its diplomatic outreach across the region, aiming to strengthen alliances with neighboring Arab nations.
On Wednesday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told Air Force crews at the southern Hatzerim Air Base that any counterattack would "levy a heavy price," adding in a video shared on X, “After we attack Iran, everyone will understand your might.”
US President Joe Biden has expressed support for an Israeli response to the October 1 Iranian strike but has clarified that he does not endorse an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities.
