Iran’s foreign minister has dismissed Friday morning attacks on his country, which took place near a major air base and a nuclear site near the city of Isfahan, questioning their origins and downplaying their impact .
“What happened last night was not a strike,” Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in translated comments during an interview on NBC News’s “Top Story with Tom Llamas.”
The foreign minister positioned the attacks as insignificant and said Iran quickly shot down the drones, which he described as “more toys for children to play with.” He also questioned Israel’s role in the incident and said the military has no evidence they were behind the attack.
Israeli officials claimed responsibility for the attacks on Friday morning, but called them “ineffective.”
When Amir-Abdollahian was asked by Lamas whether Iran had been forewarned of the attacks, he again minimized their consequences, saying: “It wasn’t worth telling us before it happened.”
The foreign minister also noted that Iran will not retaliate but will take action if Israel strikes again.
“If Israel wants to do another one […] our next response will be immediate and at the maximum level,” Amir-Abdollahian said.
He also said, “If not, we’re done.”
Israel and Iran both appear to be downplaying the significance of the attacks, which will likely help ease growing concerns about escalation in the region following Iran’s drone and missile attack on Israel on April 13. These attacks were in retaliation for the April 1 Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consulate in Syria
The White House, which has remained silent on the recent attacks, urged Israel earlier this week to exercise caution as the country vowed to respond to Iran’s attacks.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had also made threats regarding an Israeli response, warning that even the “smallest” attack would result in a “massive and harsh” response.
However, Amir-Abdollahian’s comments indicate that the potential escalation that some feared can be avoided.
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