By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
TEHRAN/DOHA (Worthy News) – Iran’s president warned Israel on Wednesday that his Islamic Republic will have an even “stronger response” if Israel retaliates to its missile attack on Tuesday.
Masoud Pezeshkian made the threat in Doha, Qatar, where he met Qatari leader Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, who also criticized Israel’s actions.
“If [Israel] wants to react, we will have a stronger response; this is what the Islamic Republic is committed to,” Pezeshkian told reporters alongside Qatari leader Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
He spoke a day after Iran fired around 200 missiles toward Israel, although Israeli military sources said most were intercepted.
At the same press conference, Sheikh Tamim accused Israel of drawing the region to the “brink of the abyss” in attacking southern Lebanon.
He did not mention Tehran’s uttered ambition to destroy Israel and the recent bloodshed committed by Iran’s proxies such as Hamas, Lebanon-based Hezbollah, and the Houthis in Yemen.
He also condemned Israel’s ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip, saying that Qatar would continue working to mediate a cease-fire between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization.
The controversy comes at a time when Qatar has been hosting Hamas leaders despite the group’s October 7 attack on Israel triggering a war in Gaza.
Pezeshkian made clear he is pleased that Qatar shares Tehran’s concern about Israel’s military operations in Gaza and Lebanon.
“We are not looking for war; it is Israel that forces us to react,” Pezeshkian said.
“We also want security and peace. It was Israel that assassinated [Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh] in Tehran,” he recalled. He accused Israel of aiming to “cause insecurity and spread crisis in the region.
Referring to Israel, Pezeshkian said, “We want from the U.S. and European countries to tell the entity they have planted in the region to stop the bloodshed.”
NETANYAHU RESPONDS
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Tehran and the groups it supports that “anyone who strikes the State of Israel will face severe consequences.”
Israeli sources say Israel may target Iran’s leadership as well as the country’s nuclear sites and other strategic assets. Netanyahu also stressed that Tuesday’s Iranian missile attack had “failed” as Israel’s air defense system “is the most advanced in the world,” although medics cautioned there were several people with shrapnel injuries.
TELEGRAM BANNED?
Qatar, known for hosting broadcaster Al Jazeera, appears to censor the Worthy News channel on the social media platform Telegram, a Christian source told Worthy News from Doha.
The source had been trying to read Worthy News coverage about the ongoing Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon.
Her name was not revealed amid security concerns.
However, Worthy News established that the website can still be reached at Doha’s international airport.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Iran threatened Friday to launch a regional war and suggested it could build an atomic bomb if its nuclear sites are attacked by Israel or the Jewish nation’s allies, such as the United States.
President Donald J. Trump is expanding trade tariffs on China after announcing similar measures for Canada and Mexico.
Tensions remained high Friday in Pakistan’s Punjab Province after local police detained a mentally challenged Christian on charges of blasphemy against Islam, Christians told Worthy News.
Sweden says it has detained five people over the killing of an Iraqi refugee who sparked outrage among Muslims by burning the Koran in protest in Sweden in 2023.
President Donald Trump confirmed that he will impose 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico starting Saturday, citing large trade deficits and the flow of fentanyl as key reasons. He also mentioned that he is still considering whether to include oil from these countries in the tariffs.
President Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to combat antisemitism, instructing the Department of Justice to take “immediate action” to deport foreign national college students and resident aliens involved in pro-Hamas protests following the terrorist group’s massacre of 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of over 250 hostages.
A new study shows there has been a surge in attacks on Christians in Nicaragua over the last two years, with Nicaraguan dictator President Daniel Ortega now specifically targeting evangelical bodies as well as Catholic communities, Christian Daily International (CDI) reports.