TEHRAN – Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says Iran has not forgone its right to respond to Israel's October 26 attack on Iran, noting the Islamic Republic will react to the adventurous military move at a proper time and in an appropriate way.

Araghchi made the remarks in a large gathering of the IRGC commanders on Monday.

The foreign minister said the Zionist regime’s attack on Iran on October 26 was a “new raid” of its kind.

In the attack, four Iranian Army personnel were martyred. 

He asserted that refusing to respond to the Zionist regime is synonymous with an “invitation to more attacks”.

"If the enemy calculates that if it hits us there will be no reaction it means invitations to more attacks; (but) it will not definitely be so, and we consider it our right to react... and surely the attack will happen it the proper time," the chief diplomat pointed out.

Israel first triggered attacks on Iran by launching an air raid on the Iranian embassy complex in Damascus, Syria, on April 1, 2024,  in which eight Iranian military advisors, including a brigadier general, were assassinated.

Iran retaliated to the attack on April 13, firing about 300 missiles and drones at military targets in Israel. The attack was codenamed "Operation True Promise".

Again on July 31, Israel assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Iran waited for about two months because the Western countries were claiming that they were trying to establish a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza and requested the Islamic Republic not to retaliate. However, again on September 27 Israel attacked Beirut and killed Iran's top military advisor Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan, and and Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

However, Iran was forced to respond to the killing of the Hamas leader in Tehran and the Hezbollah chief and Iran's top military advisor in Lebanon. This time Iran fired about 270 missiles, including supersonic ones, at Israeli military facilities, including the Nevatim airbase, where Israeli fighter jets had flown to assassinate Nasrallah and Iran's military advisor Nilforoushan.

Again on October 26, Israel launched air raids on certain sites in Iran by using the Iraqi airspace.