Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warned Sunday that the country would deliver a “deadly” response if its enemies acted against it, following reports of missile tests near the capital and unusual nighttime military activity amid rising tensions with Israel.
“If the enemy makes mistakes, Iran’s hand will be on top,” the Guard said in a statement carried by state media. “It will seize the initiative on the battlefield and respond in a deadly and instructive way once again.”
Alleged Iranian missile tests
The warning came days after reports of missile launches in the Tehran area. According to Iran International, an opposition media outlet based in London and funded by Saudi Arabia, a senior lawmaker said the tests included the country’s first launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
“Two nights ago we tested one of the most advanced missiles in the country, which had not yet been tried, and it succeeded,” lawmaker Mohsen Zanganeh was quoted as saying. He added that conducting the test “even under these circumstances of tension with Israel and the United States” demonstrated the regime’s military strength.
Eyewitnesses told Iran International that smoke trails were visible from Tehran to several cities in the northeast, including Gorgan, Sari and Semnan. Social media users also shared photos of glowing objects crossing the skies over the capital and nearby provinces.
Iran’s state-aligned Fars news agency sought to downplay the incident, describing it as “internal system tests” rather than weapons trials.
Iran International also reported that air defense systems were activated late Saturday in western Tehran, though authorities did not issue an official comment. The outlet said the incident was the latest in a string of mysterious explosions and fires at industrial and defense sites that have increased since the 12-day war between Israel and Iran earlier this year.
At the same time, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared that the country would “overcome any sanction” after the U.N. Security Council decided not to lift restrictions on the Islamic Republic. Britain, France and Germany recently invoked the “snapback” mechanism, a provision in the 2015 nuclear deal that allows for the reimposition of sanctions. Full sanctions are expected to return by Sept. 27.
“Through snapback they block the way, but minds are what open it,” Pezeshkian told state television. “They can attack our nuclear facilities in Natanz or Fordo, but they do not understand that those who built and will rebuild them are human beings.”
Iran’s Supreme National Security Council also issued a warning, saying that if sanctions are reinstated, the country’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency “will be suspended.”