Tehran warns of 'zero restraint'

Tehran has warned of "zero restraint" if Israel attacks Iran's infrastructure again and demanded that any end to the fighting must address damage to its civilian sites as the United States-led conflict drags on.

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X on Thursday that his country's response to Israel's attack on its infrastructure "employed a fraction of our power".

"The only reason for restraint was respect for requested de-escalation. Zero restraint if our infrastructures are struck again. Any end to this war must address damage to our civilian sites," said Araghchi.

He added that they "are only three weeks into this war of choice, imposed on both Iranians and Americans".

"This $200b is the tip of the iceberg. Ordinary Americans can thank Benjamin Netanyahu and his lackeys in Congress for the trillion-dollar 'Israel First tax' that's about to hit (the) US economy," said Iran's foreign minister.

Araghchi was referring to US media reports that the Pentagon has asked the White House to approve a request to Congress of more than $200 billion to fund the fighting.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed this during a news conference, adding that the $200 billion figure "could move" and that he did not want to set a definitive time frame for the conflict, which has no end in sight.

Dina Yulianti Sulaeman, director of the Indonesia Center for Middle East Studies, said Araghchi's statement demonstrates Iran's stance.

"Iran doesn't actually want to attack civilian infrastructure, but if Iran is attacked again, it will respond with a much more massive response. This attitude shows that Iran is still very confident and ready to continue the war," Sulaeman told China Daily.

"Meanwhile, the $200 billion request shows that the US is trapped in a war without a clear exit strategy," she said.

In other developments, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps announced on Friday that its spokesman, General Ali Mohammad Naini, was "martyred in an aerial aggression" that day, Iran's Mehr News Agency reported.

Iran has also started moving toward a "selective blockade" of the Strait of Hormuz in recent days, allowing ships from selected countries to pass through the strategic waterway, Al Jazeera reported.

It cited Lloyd's List, a maritime news and analysis service, which said that at least nine ships had transited through a corridor passing by Iran's Larak Island as of Wednesday.

Across the Gulf region, which has suffered widespread collateral damage as a result of the strikes, civilians celebrating Eid al-Fitr and performing prayers have been told to stay indoors.

Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates told worshippers not to gather outdoors or at prayer grounds where thousands typically attend Eid prayers marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

The UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain all reported Iranian drone and missile attacks early on Friday, before the start of the Eid al-Fitr holiday at sundown.

Iran has renewed fire on Israel after a brief lull, The Times of Israel reported. A ballistic missile launch from Iran was "detected by the IDF, targeting central Israel and the Jerusalem area", it added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in his statement to the foreign press that "Israel and the United States are protecting America, Israel, the entire Middle East, but I venture to say the entire world".

Netanyahu's remarks came just days after Joe Kent resigned from his position as director of the US National Counterterrorism Center in opposition to the US military action against Iran. Kent said Iran "posed no imminent threat" to the US, pinning the blame on "Israeli pressure" and Tel Aviv's "powerful American lobby".

Contact the writers at jan@chinadailyapac.com.