Iran signals to US it aims to avoid a major escalation with Israelis
Tehran expected to use proxies to carry out response to embassy attack
Iran has signalled to Washington that it will respond to Israel’s attack on its Syrian embassy in a way that aims to avoid major escalation and Iranian sources say they will not act hastily, as Tehran presses demands including a Gaza truce.
Iran’s message to Washington was conveyed by Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian during a visit on Sunday to the Gulf Arab state of Oman, which has often acted as an intermediary between Tehran and Washington.
A White House spokesperson declined to comment on any messages from Iran but said the US has communicated to Iran that it was not involved in the strike on the embassy.
A source familiar with US intelligence was not aware of the message conveyed via Oman but said Iran has “been very clear” that its response to the attack on its Damascus embassy compound would be “controlled” and “non-escalatory” and planned “to use regional proxies to launch a number of attacks on Israel”.
The diplomatic messaging points to a cautious approach by Iran as it weighs how to respond to the April 1 attack in a way that deters Israel from further such actions, but avoids a military escalation that could draw the US deeper into the conflict.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that Israel “must be punished and it shall be”, saying it was tantamount to an attack on Iranian soil.
Israel has not confirmed it was responsible, but the Pentagon has said it was.
The attack, which killed a top Iranian general, marked a big escalation in the violence that has spread through the region since the Gaza war began.
Tehran has carefully avoided any direct role in the regional spillover, while backing groups which have waged attacks from Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon.
Iranian-backed militias in Syria and Iraq have not attacked US troops stationed in those countries since early February.
One of the Iranian sources did not rule out the possibility that members of the Iran-backed Axis of Resistance could attack Israel at any moment – an option analysts have flagged as one possible means of reprisal.
Russia and Germany have urged countries in the Middle East to show restraint, as Israel said it was preparing to “meet all its security needs” in a region on edge over the Iranian threats.
The German airline Lufthansa, one of only two Western carriers flying to Tehran, extended a suspension of its flights to the Iranian capital and Russia warned against travel to the Middle East.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was keeping up its war in Gaza but making security preparations elsewhere.
“Whoever harms us, we will harm them. We are prepared to meet all of the security needs of the state of Israel, both defensively and offensively,” he said in comments released following a visit to an air force base.
Conflict has spread across the Middle East since the eruption of the Gaza war, with Iran-backed groups declaring support for the Palestinians waging attacks from Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq.
Tehran has avoided direct confrontation with Israel or the US, while declaring support for its allies.
German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock called on her Iranian counterpart Mr Amirabdollahian to urge “maximum restraint” to avoid further escalation. Russia’s foreign ministry told its citizens they should not travel to the Middle East, especially to Israel, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories.
“Rightnowit’sveryimportantforeveryone to maintain restraint so as not to lead to a complete destabilisation of the situation in the region, which doesn’t exactly shine with stability and predictability,” said the Kremlin spokesperson.
On Wednesday, US president Joe Biden said Iran was threatening a “significant attack in Israel”. He added that he had told Mr Netanyahu that “our commitment to Israel security against these threats from Iran and its proxies is iron-clad”.
Tom Cotton, a US Republican senator from Arkansas, said Israel was facing an “imminent” attack from Iran.
“Joe Biden needs to warn the ayatollahs immediately that the US will back Israel to the hilt and the joint AmericanIsraeli retaliation for any attack will be swift and devastating,” said the senator, who is a Donald Trump backer.
Iran is the third-largest oil producer in the Opec group and oil prices stayed near six-month highs yesterday.
On Wednesday, an Iranian news agency posted an online report that air space over Tehran had been closed for military drills, but then removed the report and denied it had issued such news.
Open warfare between Israel and Iran would be an unprecedented escalation in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the Iranian-backed terror group in Gaza behind the October 7 massacre.