Iran Warns Israel: “Ready To Respond”

Tehran, 30 June 2025:

According to state media, Iran's Supreme National Security Council has cautioned Israel against violating the recently agreed ceasefire, saying its military is still "on high alert" and "ready to deliver a decisive and punitive response" to any aggression. 

Following a 12 day military conflict in which Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear and military installations occurred, a tenuous truce mediated by former US President Donald Trump is said to have gone into effect on June 24. Mutual mistrust was heightened when both sides reported additional missile activity in spite of the ceasefire terms. The Iranian army "trusts no words from the enemy and with fingers on the trigger, stand ready to deliver a decisive and punitive response to any hostile action," according to the Supreme National Security Council of Iran.

The commander of the IRGC, Major General Mohammad Pakpour, also issued a warning, saying that any additional American strikes on Qatar's Al-Udeid base would be met with retaliation that would surpass its missile barrage. Iran has not officially renounced the ceasefire despite these warnings, and in certain remarks, it has reaffirmed its readiness to suspend military operations provided Israel stops its "illegal aggression". 

Abbas Araghchi, the foreign minister, emphasized that no legally binding agreement had been reached and that Iran would only think about stopping if Israeli attacks were stopped first. Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites on June 13 sparked one of the bloodiest battles in the Iran-Israel conflict, which ended with the ceasefire. Iran attacked Israeli territory with drones and missiles in retaliation.

Israel insisted it would "respond forcefully" to any breach, despite Iran's assertion that its offensive forced Israel to stop its aggression. Concerns about the broader effects of continuing nuclear and military escalations were voiced by international observers, such as the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran insisted that its sovereign rights to enrich uranium would not be compromised, even though its ambassador to India said Tehran was still open to resuming nuclear talks with the United States. Tehran's fresh warnings highlight how unstable the current ceasefire is. 

Iran's announcement that its troops are still "on high alert" raises the possibility that the truce could break down quickly if either party breaks its shaky conditions, making it a risky time for regional peace initiatives.