Masoud Pezeshkian warns Israel of more ‘severe’ retaliation

TEHRAN: Iran’s responses to Israeli attacks will be “more decisive and severe” if Israel’s hostile actions continue, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday, according to state media.

Read more: ‘Nothing left’: Israelis grapple with damage from Iranian strikes

Pezeshkian added that Iran’s military has so far responded “strongly and appropriately”, the report said.

‘MARTYRED CHILDREN’

The statement came as Iranian media said Sunday that the death toll from Israeli attacks on Friday and Saturday was at least 128, including women and children, reporting hundreds more wounded.

At least “128 people were martyred in these military attacks, and around 900 injured individuals were admitted to” hospitals, said Etemad daily, citing the health ministry.

Read more: Cyprus says Iran has asked to convey ‘some messages’ to Israel

The report said the deaths include at least “40 women”, adding that the “number of martyred children is significant”.

IRAN MUST NEVER HAVE NUKES

Meanwhile, Sunday also saw the European giants like France and Germany reiterating their full support to Israel  

In this connection, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Iran must “never have nuclear weapons”, his government spokesman said, as Israel continued a campaign of massive strikes targeting Tehran’s nuclear programme.

The comment came in a conversation with the sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tarik al Said, in which both leaders agreed on the need to “prevent the conflict from spreading”, German government spokesman Stefan Kornelius said in a statement.

Similarly, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Iranian nuclear programme is a threat for the security of Israel and of Europe, and diplomcy is the only way to avoid an escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran

“The Iranian nuclear programme is an existentiel threat for the security of Israel and beyond the security of Europe. We always said the best way to prevent that threat, to contain it, remains diplomacy,” Barrot told RTL radio.