Iran has managed to stockpile its highly enriched uranium before the start of the Israeli strikes, former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Mohsen Rezaei, said in a television interview, DPA reported.
“We moved the materials in advance. All of them are now in our hands“, said the former IRGC commander. “Secondly – the scientists are also in our hands. Thirdly – the factories where we produce nuclear equipment – "These factories still exist," he said, adding that the Iranian leadership had been expecting war since March.
The former commander rejected the idea of a truce with Israel, which he called "Iran's sworn enemy." He said the Iranian armed forces should punish the enemy so severely and decisively that it would not even think of a response.
"If they force a truce on us, we will certainly regret it," Rezaei concluded.
The US ambassador to Turkey and the White House's special envoy for Syria, Thomas Barrack, warned the Lebanese Shiite movement "Hezbollah" not to intervene in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, DPA reported.
Speaking during a visit to Beirut, Barak said that any intervention by the Iraqi-backed group “would be a really bad decision“.
“Hezbollah“ has publicly condemned Israeli strikes on Iran and threats against the Islamic Republic's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Despite its rhetoric, the group has so far refrained from direct military action.
Regional analysts say “Hezbollah“s current operational capabilities have been weakened after its war with Israel last year.
With tensions between Israel and Iran escalating, the intervention of powerful groups such as “Hezbollah“ could lead to a wider war in the Middle East, DPA notes.
Barak's visit to Lebanon is seen as part of intensified US diplomatic efforts to contain the scope of the crisis in the Middle East.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who met with the US envoy, expressed hope that the US would continue to support Lebanon's struggling economy. He stressed the need for stability in the south of the country, calling for Israeli forces to withdraw from there and for the clashes to cease.
“Hezbollah“ reaffirms its solidarity with Iran. In a statement published late last night, the movement's deputy secretary general Naim Qassem strongly condemned the Israeli-US attack on Iran, describing it as part of a wider campaign by world powers against a sovereign nation. He described the Islamic Republic as a beacon of resistance that supports the oppressed, especially in Palestine and Lebanon.
Qassem said that Iran's independent political, scientific and defense achievements - especially its peaceful nuclear program - have angered the United States and its allies. He condemned the threats against Khamenei and described the aggression as an attack on all free peoples in the region.
At the same time, he stressed that "Hezbollah" is not neutral in the confrontation. "We are on Iran's side against this global injustice," he said.
Meanwhile, due to the current conflict between Israel and Iran, the Czech Republic is temporarily closing its embassy in Tehran, Radio Prague reported.
The decision was made by Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky. A hotline number has been provided for Czech citizens in the Islamic Republic in need of urgent consular services.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced, quoted by Reuters, that the country's embassy in Tehran has been closed due to the deteriorating security situation in Iran. Australia's ambassador to Iran will move to Azerbaijan to assist the government's response to the crisis.
“We continue to plan support for Australians who want to leave Iran and remain in close contact with other partner countries,“ Wong said in a statement.
Irish political leaders have called for an immediate de-escalation between Israel and Iran and the resumption of diplomatic talks, PA Media/DPA reported.
Prime Minister Micheal Martin said Iran must make it clear that it will not pursue further uranium enrichment.
Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris, who is also Foreign Minister, said work was underway at the EU level to reach out to citizens in Israel and Iran who want to leave the region.
Iran and Israel have been carrying out strikes on each other's territory for a week, deepening the the crisis in the Middle East.
When asked what role Ireland could play, Martin said Ireland and the European Union could push for “restraint and de-escalation“.
“The world needs stability, it needs peace - and dialogue is the way to resolve the nuclear issue with Iran“, the prime minister told local radio.
“Iran has been a malign player in the Middle East for quite a long time, supporting “Hezbollah“, “Hamas“ and the Houthis - it is a theocratic autocratic state. But there has been dialogue between Iran and the US on this issue, and I think that needs to be resumed. "I think Iran needs to make it very clear that it will not seek to further enrich uranium or that it will not advance in the development of nuclear bombs," the Irish prime minister said.
Meanwhile, Harris said that at the EU level, "a huge effort" was being made to support citizens and diplomats in Iran and Israel. He added that the EU was working with Germany, France and Britain to persuade the Iranians to return to negotiations.
"It is almost impossible to overstate the potential danger of this if it leads to the involvement of other countries or even the spread of the conflict to other countries," he said. "Ireland, although far away, has a number of citizens in both countries, has a significant number of troops in Lebanon and is very concerned about the situation in Palestine, so there are a number of factors in that regard," the foreign minister added.
At the same time, he added that "nobody wants to see Iran with a nuclear capability."
"Everyone is aware of the dangers that Iran poses, but at the same time the way to resolve these problems is through negotiations, as was planned and which were ultimately postponed as a result of the Israeli strikes," Harris added.
He said that the Irish embassies in Iran and Israel had contacted citizens who would like to leave when the opportunity arose.
There are about 29 Irish citizens in Iran and about 200.
“There is a huge effort being made at the European level to ensure that we try to provide support to our own citizens and our diplomats in what is becoming a really dangerous environment and a really difficult environment to operate and function in“, Martin added.
He said that with Iranian airspace closed, evacuation would mean crossing the land border, and for those in Israel it would mean travelling to Jordan or Egypt.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Bahraini Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa agreed on the need for closer relations to support stability in the Middle East, a Starmer spokesman said, quoted by Reuters.
“The leaders called for de-escalation and agreed on the need for lasting and closer relations across the region to support stability“, the spokesman said, referring to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Starmer and Prince Salman met in London last night to discuss strengthening ties between London and Manama through new security, defence and investment agreements.