TEHRAN – Iran's armed forces have prepared up to 1,000 missiles for a swift response to any potential Israeli attack, a threat that has been looming for weeks, according to the New York Times.

The American paper published a report on Thursday, saying while Tehran is not looking to engage in war, it is ready to enter one if necessary. 

The NYT said Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has ordered Iran’s armed forces to develop multiple military plans for a rapid response to any Israeli attack. This report aligns with previous reporting by Iran's Tasnim News Agency, which has stated that Iran has prepared "10 scenarios" for responding to a potential Israeli assault.

“The responses under consideration included a barrage of up to 1,000 ballistic missiles; escalated attacks by Iranian proxy militant groups in the region; and disrupting the flow of global energy supplies and shipping moving through the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz,” the NYT report added. 

The paper also claims that Tehran may not retaliate against Israel if the regime “limits its attack to a few military bases and warehouses storing missiles and drones” – An assertion contrary to remarks by several of Iran’s high-ranking officials, who have said any attack by Israel will elicit a strong and crushing reaction. 

Iran fired a volley of approximately 200 ballistic missiles at Israeli military and intelligence bases in the occupied territories on October 1. The attack dubbed Operation True Promise II came in response to a series of Israeli terrorist attacks, which targeted Hamas’ Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July and Hezbollah’s Sayyad Hassan Nasrallah in southern Beirut last month. 

Reports suggest that 90% of Iranian projectiles hit their targets. The Israeli regime has imposed strict censorship on the aftermath of the attacks, arresting several journalists who attempted to report on the true extent of Iran's operation.