TEHRAN, June 16. /TASS/. Iran will be forced to take things to another level if the United States can not rein in its ally Israel, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said.
"If the United States does not restrain the Zionist regime (Israel - TASS), Iran will have little choice but respond [to the attacks] in a tougher way," the IRNA news agency quoted him as saying during a phone call with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said of Oman.
According to the Iranian president, Israel’s attempt to destabilize his country was met with a severe retaliatory strike, and it "sustained heavy losses." "If this aggression is repeated, [the enemy] will get a much stronger response," Pezeshkian added.
Overnight into June 13, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion targeting Iran’s nuclear program. Iran responded in less than 24 hours. In the following days, Tel Aviv and Tehran exchanged strikes again. Both parties reported casualties and damage, and admitted that a number of facilities had been hit, but said the damage was limited.