"The Islamic Republic has always supported peace, stability and security in the region and respected other countries’ sovereignty. Nonetheless, Tehran will not hesitate to exercise its legitimate and legal right to deter all sources of threats against its national security, defend its citizens and punish the criminals," Kanaani emphasized.
US 'Not Ready' for Confrontation
"The United States, in general, is trying to avoid direct confrontation with Iran, and quite openly pretend that nothing bad has happened. Rather, their policy is that so long as there are no major casualties on their part, there’s no need to start a big conflict. For now, the Americans are not ready to butt heads with Iran and are not interested in this. They already have enough problems with Gaza and now with Yemen. Unless something out of the ordinary happens…for example, an Iranian attack on some American warships, war is unlikely," Surkov believes.
"On the one hand, Iran is trying to keep its adversaries in suspense, using allies, proxies, but Tehran also does not need a direct conflict now. What we are seeing in the Middle East is a very subtle, very complex maneuver, a very complex ballet, if you like. All sides exchange blows, but try to keep the confrontation below the level of a major war, which no one needs. They’re trying to change the balance of power in their favor using various hybrid tools and proxies, but no one benefits from a big war. Therefore, the question is whether and how long they can remain in this gray zone between peace and war," Surkov stressed.
Only One Country Interested in Iran-US Conflict
"Under what conditions is a direct war between the US and Iran possible? Only after strikes against the territory of Iran. Moreover, I wouldn’t be surprised if the strikes came not from the Americans, but from Israel. Israel has the means to deliver various types of weapons, including nuclear weapons, to Iran. These are the so-called Jericho-3, Jericho-4 missiles (Jericho-1 and Jericho-2 are not suitable in terms of range), as well as the Dolphin-class submarines…which have cruise missiles. As for the use of Israeli aviation, it’s doubtful. Without the Americans they will not be able to use it, because the refueling tankers are American," the observer said.