Iran ready to strike Israel again, Pezeshkian says

Over the past two weeks, Iran has seen near-daily reports of fires, blasts, and industrial accidents, striking residential towers, oil facilities, airports, and commercial buildings in cities including Tehran, Karaj, Qom, Mashhad and Tabriz.

While state media and officials have attributed most of the incidents to aging infrastructure or gas leaks, three Iranian officials, including a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), told New York Times that they believe many of the events are deliberate acts of sabotage.

Though no evidence was provided, the officials pointed to Israel’s long history of covert operations in Iran, especially its use of targeted assassinations and cyberattacks.

The Iranian government has not publicly acknowledged the sabotage theory. Officials who have spoken publicly say the explosions are the result of technical faults, maintenance issues, or "owner negligence." But the absence of convincing explanations has fueled public skepticism.

On July 10, an explosion at a residential tower in western Tehran caused heavy structural damage and injured several people. Authorities blamed a gas leak, but local eyewitnesses told media outlets the building had not yet been connected to the gas grid.

In one 24-hour span last week, explosions and fires were reported at Mashhad Airport, a desert area near Semnan, and a commercial building in central Tehran. Officials attributed the Mashhad incident to the "controlled burning of weeds," further feeding public disbelief.

“Everybody talks about regime change and they envision the American army and Israeli forces invading Iran — boots on the ground and all that stuff people spew. No,” Netanyahu said in an interview with the Full Send Podcast, hosted by the Nelk Boys.

“It has to come from within… from the people.”

Netanyahu described Iran’s nuclear and missile programs as a “cancer,” and said Israel had no choice but to act militarily to remove those threats.

He praised US President Donald Trump for authorizing strikes that he said helped roll back Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

“If you don’t remove the cancer, you’re going to be dead,” he said. “We did act. And you know — just with incredibly brave soldiers.”

His comments came as Defense Minister Israel Katz signaled a potential return to military pressure.

“There is a possibility of the campaign against Iran renewing; we need to maintain the achievements and air superiority created following Operation ‘Rising Lion’ while formulating an effective enforcement plan going forward to ensure that Iran does not restore its nuclear and missile projects,” Katz said during a security assessment with top Israeli military officials on Tuesday.

Operation Rising Lion, launched on June 13, was Israel’s largest coordinated military strike on Iran to date, initiating a series of surprise attacks that killed top Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists and triggered a 12-day war that caused widespread destruction on both sides.

"Since we obliterated their nuclear program, I think it is time for Iran to come to the table and negotiate with the United States of America on a path towards peace and prosperity for the Iranian people," US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker told Fox News.

Still, Whitaker said he did not trust Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to deliver an accord after he told the same network the previous day that US strikes had serious damage Iranian nuclear sites but that Tehran would not give up enrichment.

“I don’t believe a single word that the Iranian foreign minister says,” Whitaker said.

“He’s not a credible voice for peace. President Trump’s been very clear—Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. And since we obliterated their nuclear program, I think it is time for Iran to come to the table and negotiate with the United States of America.”

Iran is expected to meet this week with France, Germany and the UK. Tehran has said it will not end uranium enrichment, even as European powers have mooted triggering renewed international sanctions if no agreement is reached by the end of August.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that the administration continues to be open to talks with Iran if it deems to be necessary.

Asked whether NATO allies share the administration’s stance, Whitaker said what he called the free world sees Iran and Russia as destabilizing forces.

“You’re either with the side of peace—peace through strength with Donald Trump and the United States—or you’re with the outcast crew of China, Iran, and others who don’t want peace and prosperity for their people,” he said.

“At the end of the day, our allies want to be with us.”

NATO has been critical of the role of Iran in supplying drones to Russia to use in war against Ukraine.

Secretary General Mark Rutte in May warned of increased coordination among the bloc's adversaries Russia, China, North Korea and Iran.

“As the president has said, the Iranian people stand to benefit from negotiating in good faith. The ball is in their court,” said Tammy Bruce, spokesperson for the US State Department. “The Iranian leadership has a window of opportunity to choose a path of peace and prosperity for their people.”

Bruce told reporters Tuesday that Washington is “also ready to talk directly to the Iranians,” while coordinating closely with its E3 partners—Britain, France and Germany.

Bruce's remarks come ahead of Friday’s meeting in Istanbul, where the E3 will meet directly with Iranian diplomats at the deputy foreign minister level to discuss Iran’s nuclear program and potential sanctions measures.

“The topic of the talks is clear, lifting sanctions and issues related to the peaceful nuclear program of Iran,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said in his weekly briefing.

Speaking on Fox News ahead of the talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran will not abandon its nuclear program—including uranium enrichment—despite “severe” damage from recent US strikes.

“Our enrichment is so dear to us,” he said. “Obviously we cannot give up our enrichment, because it is an achievement of our own scientists and now more than that, it is a question of national pride," Araghchi told Fox News.

“We saw that 120 to 150 rocket launchers exploded the moment they were activated, and Iran’s entire air defense system was hacked,” Saeed Leilaz told Eqtesad Online in an interview published Tuesday.

The assertion was a rare detailed account of specific military and intelligence failures in Iran's heavily controlled media.

A former US intelligence officer told Iran International that figures disclosed publicly are often understated, suggesting the level of Israeli penetration and infiltration could be even deeper.

“When someone says it's between 120 and 150, that's huge — but the real number could be significantly higher,” said Michael Pregent, an independent analyst.

Leilaz criticized Iran’s unpreparedness for what he described as a multi-layered surprise attack by Israel, saying the breach exposed deep and widespread security failures.

"I no longer trust any military or security personnel — whether from the Revolutionary Guards, the Ministry of Intelligence, or the army — unless proven otherwise,” he said.

“From a security standpoint, it can easily be said that the Islamic Republic of Iran was brought to its knees,” Leilaz added.

During the war, Israel killed several senior commanders of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), including Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri, IRGC Commander Hossein Salami, IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, and IRGC Deputy for Operations Mehdi Rabbani.

Asked whether Iran could recover its air defense system following the widespread hacking Leilaz described, Pregent was doubtful.

“The systems they’re using are Russian. Israel already knows how to hack them and conduct cyberattacks to infiltrate, manipulate data and disable defense assets,” he said.

“If Iran is trying to replenish its air defense systems and return to its previous capacity, it’s basically reinstalling the same system — one that Israel can take down again.”

Israeli airstrikes and drone attacks during the 12-day war killed hundreds of Iranians including civilians, military personnel and nuclear scientists. Iran's retaliatory missile strikes killed 27 Israeli civilians.

According to an Iranian government spokesperson, 1,062 Iranians were killed during the conflict, including 786 military personnel and 276 civilians.

Leilaz also criticized the Islamic Republic’s approach to possible negotiations with the United States, urging the government to first negotiate with its own people.

“During the 12-day war, despite being disillusioned with the ruling system, the Iranian people quietly rose up to defend the country’s territorial integrity. That means there is still room for reconciliation between the Iranian people and the Islamic Republic,” Leilaz said.

The White House said on Monday that the Trump administration remains open to talks with Tehran, as Iran prepares to meet with European allies for a new round of nuclear negotiations on Friday.