Iran: War with Israel Could Renew at Any Moment

SadaNews - Iran's Vice President, Mohammad Reza Arif, warned on Monday that war with Israel "could renew at any moment," considering the ceasefire that has been in place since late June as "not a formal agreement," but rather a "phase of cessation of hostilities."

In an interview with academics in Tehran, Arif stated: "We must be prepared for confrontation at any moment; we are not under a ceasefire, we are in a state of cessation of hostilities," according to the French news agency "AFP."

These remarks by the Iranian Vice President came a day after Yahya Rahim Safavi, the military advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and former leader of the Revolutionary Guard, confirmed that Iran is "preparing plans for the worst-case scenario."

Safavi added: "We are not in a ceasefire now; we are in a state of war, and it could break at any moment. There are no protocols, no rules, and no agreement between us and the Israelis, or between us and the Americans." He continued: "A ceasefire means halting attacks, and that could change at any time."

These statements follow a war initiated by Israel on June 13 against Iran, targeting nuclear, military, and civilian sites, resulting in over a thousand casualties, including scientists in the nuclear and military fields and military leaders.

Tehran responded with missile strikes and drone attacks that killed more than 20 people in Israel, before the United States announced the cessation of the war on June 24, after participating alongside Israel in striking Iranian nuclear facilities, without reaching a formal agreement.

The dispute between Washington and Tehran regarding uranium enrichment intensifies, as Iran insists on its right to enrich, while the US administration considers it a "red line," amid efforts to reach a diplomatic agreement on Iran's nuclear program to prevent future confrontations between Tel Aviv and Tehran.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran is the only non-nuclear state that is enriching at 60%, exceeding the 3.67% cap set by the 2015 nuclear agreement, which the US withdrew from in 2018. Military use requires reaching 90% enrichment.