‘Israel will face more harmful and painful consequences for striking Iranian oil sites’: Dr Iraj Elahi

New Delhi: Iran’s Ambassador to India, Dr Iraj Elahi, issued a stern warning to Israel, stating that any strikes on Iranian oil sites would provoke a devastating retaliation from Iran. He emphasised that the consequences of such actions would be “more harmful and painful” for Israel.

The remarks by Elahi came after US President Joe Biden said he was “discussing” possible Israeli strikes on Iranian oil sites in response to Tehran’s missile attack and how Iran will protect its assets in oil fields.

Speaking with ANI, Elahi said, “If Israel does this, it will face a new round of retaliation by Iran, which will be more harmful and more painful for Israel. Maybe, most of the installation and infrastructure of Israel will be damaged.”

He further said that any attack on Iranian oil facilities would have negative consequences for the United States and the global energy market. “If the Iranian oil facility is damaged, it will affect the whole energy market of the world. This will not be to the benefit of the US and many countries and stakeholders. Regarding nuclear facilities, we believe some of our facilities are under mountains and no kind of bomb can damage it.”

Notably, US President Joe Biden on Thursday had stated that he is “in discussion” about possible strikes on Iranian oil facilities.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Biden, when asked if he would support Israel striking Iran’s oil facilities, responded, “We’re in discussion of that. I think — I think that would be a little — anyway.”

However, later, Biden advised caution in Israel’s retaliation strategy and stated that if he were Israeli, he would consider alternatives to striking oil fields. “If I were in their position, I would explore alternatives to targeting oil fields,” Biden remarked.

He had also emphasised Israel’s right to self-defence in the face of attacks from not only Iran but also Hezbollah and the Houthis, while urging restraint to minimise civilian casualties.

Meanwhile, Elahi also asserted that Iran has taken extensive precautionary measures to safeguard its military facilities. He said, “Israel and its allies are fully aware of the Iranian military capability, so they try to hit Iran with different strikes. We have taken way too many precautionary measures. We are ready for the different actions of Israel. Yesterday, the Supreme Leader himself after five years said prayers and not only the Supreme Leader, the President, the Head of Judiciary, and Legislative power all the high-ranking people of Iran... It shows that we did not have any concerns regarding the operation of Israel.”

Elahi also spoke about October 7, the day when Hamas launched attacks against Israel last year and asserted that Iran’s perspective of the incident differs from the rest of the world. He said, “Our narration of October 7 categorically differs from the narration of many countries. (ANI)

Also Read: Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claims killing senior Hezbollah commander Mohammad Rashid Sakafi

Also Watch: