TEHRAN (BN24) — Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that Iran is fully prepared for a renewed conflict with Israel, casting doubt on the durability of the recent ceasefire and warning that Iranian forces stand ready to strike deep into Israeli territory if provoked.
In his first televised interview since the end of last month’s 12-day war with Israel, Pezeshkian told Al Jazeera that Iran remains on high alert despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire, which halted an escalating military confrontation that included American strikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
“We are fully prepared for any new Israeli military move, and our armed forces are ready to strike deep inside Israel again,” Pezeshkian said in the interview broadcast late Monday. “We do not rely on the recent ceasefire, and we are not very optimistic about it. That is why we have prepared ourselves for any possible scenario and any potential response.”
The war marked the most direct military confrontation between Iran and Israel in years. While the U.S. intervened militarily on Israel’s behalf, Pezeshkian insisted that Iran inflicted significant damage in response, even as Israeli officials have downplayed or withheld information about their losses.
“Israel has harmed us, and we have also harmed it,” Pezeshkian said. “It has dealt us powerful blows, and we have struck it hard in its depths. But it is concealing its losses.”
The Iranian president accused Israel of attempting to destabilize and ultimately dismantle the Islamic Republic through military aggression and covert operations. “Israel sought to change Iran, dismantle it, and eliminate Iran, its regime, and its society by unleashing chaos and striking the regime, but it has completely failed to do so,” he said.
The recent fighting followed a sharp escalation in tensions between the two regional rivals, including strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and retaliatory drone and missile attacks on Israeli military positions. The conflict prompted fears of a broader regional war, especially with continued hostilities involving Iran-backed groups such as Hezbollah and the Houthis.
While Pezeshkian is seen as a reformist at home, his firm stance on national defense and confrontation with Israel reflects the longstanding posture of the Iranian state. Despite calls from the international community to de-escalate, Pezeshkian made it clear that Iran’s strategic calculus remains centered on deterrence and retaliation.
The ceasefire, negotiated with indirect U.S. and Qatari mediation, remains fragile. Analysts say that without meaningful diplomatic engagement, both sides could quickly slip back into open conflict.
