Abbas Araghchi: The Islamic Republic Will Not Remain Indifferent in Case of War in Lebanon

On Wednesday, October 4, the Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic stated that the Middle East is facing a "full-blown catastrophe" and warned that if Israel escalates its attacks against Hezbollah, Tehran will not remain indifferent and will support the group in any way possible. Abbas Araghchi, speaking to reporters at the United Nations, stated that "Israel has crossed all red lines and the UN Security Council must intervene to restore peace and stability to the Middle East," adding, "If the current situation in the region is not controlled, the world will face catastrophic consequences." He criticized the "unwavering support of the United States and some Western countries for Israel," claiming that this support has encouraged Tel Aviv to "commit crimes with impunity" and that the inaction of the Security Council has pushed the region toward catastrophe. The Foreign Minister accused Israel of mass killing civilians in Gaza and added, "It now seems that Israel wants to repeat this in Lebanon by waging war against Hezbollah, but the Islamic Republic will stand by Hezbollah and the people of Lebanon with all its capabilities." In response to a question from a reporter regarding the Islamic Republic's influence over Hezbollah and Tehran's impact on the group's decisions and actions, he stated, "Hezbollah makes its own decisions and is fully capable of defending itself and defending Lebanon and the people of Lebanon." He also responded to a question from an Associated Press reporter who asked, "Some governments and analysts have accused the Iranian government of fueling conflicts in Lebanon by supplying advanced weapons to Hezbollah," saying, "We have always said that we support Hezbollah in its cause to defend Lebanon and its people against Israel." These statements by Araghchi come as Masoud Pezeshkian, the head of the fourteenth government of the Islamic Republic, also threatened Israel with a response to its attacks on Lebanon in his first speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, October 3, but at the same time said, "We are not seeking a wider war in the region." Concurrently, Israel Katz, the Israeli Foreign Minister, described the "Iranian regime" as an "extremist regime" on his X account, noting, "The Islamic Republic is a terrorist regime that threatens the entire Western world. We must not fall for the lies of this regime and must stop the Iranian government before it is too late." A Hezbollah ballistic missile was intercepted over Tel Aviv and destroyed without casualties. The US has issued warnings about the risk of escalating tensions in the Middle East, sanctioned several companies and ships for participating in the transfer of Iranian oil and gas, and supported Israel's approach in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations. Blinken stated that the US government takes the Islamic Republic's threats against Donald Trump and US officials very seriously and warned about the "acute" risk of escalating tensions in the Middle East. The UK has warned its citizens to "immediately" leave Lebanon. Sirens sounded in Tel Aviv following the interception of a ground-to-ground missile fired from Lebanon.