TEHRAN – Iran will consider the arrival of an Israeli submarine to the Persian Gulf “an act of aggression” and that it will have the right to respond, a senior Iranian lawmaker says.

If an Israeli submarine arrives in the [Persian] Gulf, Iran will consider that an act of aggression and “in this case, we will have the right to take revenge,” Abolfazl Amouei, spokesman for the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told Aljazeera on Saturday night, just a few days after Israeli and American news media reported that an Israeli submarine has openly crossed the Suez Canal en route to Iran.

Amouei directly addresses the Israelis, saying that he is sending a clear message to them that they must be cautious and if the Israeli submarine arrives in the Persian Gulf, “it would be an amazing target for us.”

In what appeared to be a warning to Iran’s neighbors, the Iranian lawmaker underlined that bringing the Israelis near Iran might create problems for neighboring countries.

The Iranian warning comes after Israel’s public broadcaster Kan reported on Monday last week that an Israeli submarine crosses the Suez Canal in a show of force against Iran.

The Israeli channel said the submarine was heading toward the Persian Gulf, and by exposing itself above sea level it was sending a warning message to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Israel’s army declined to comment on the matter.

On Saturday, an Iranian official warned Israel against any aggression against Iran, saying that Israel must know that Iran’s response would be strong.

“Israel must know that our response to aggression against our national security will be strong and massive,” Aljazeera quoted an Iranian official as saying on Saturday afternoon.

“Israel is looking for excuses to drag the region into a tension that creates chaos in the last days of the Trump presidency,” the official told Aljazeera.

On the other hand, Israeli officials have claimed that Iran may take revenge for the assassination of its top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh on the first anniversary of the assassination of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated in an American drone strike on January 3, 2020, near Baghdad’s international airport.

Fakhrizadeh was assassinated on November 27 in an attack widely attributed to Israel. The attack took place on a highway in the small city of Absard in Damavand County, about 40 kilometers east of the capital Tehran.

Iran blamed the attack on Israel but it said that it will not fall into the trap of Israel. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a tweet on the day of the assassination that the attack was carried out with “serious indications of Israeli role.” Since then, several Iranian officials have vowed to take revenge against Israel.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also put the blame on Israel, underlining that the assassination of Fakhrizadeh will not go unanswered.

“All think tanks and all enemies of Iran should know well that the Iranian nation and the country’s authorities are more courageous and zealous than to let this criminal act go unanswered. The relevant authorities will respond to this crime at the proper time,” Rouhani said.

But at the same time, he stressed that the assassination of the nuclear scientist was a trap set by Israel and thus Iran will not fall into it by taking uncalculated measures.

“The Iranian nation is wiser and smarter than to fall in the trap of the Zionists (Israel). They are after chaos and sedition. They should understand that we know their plans and they will not achieve their ominous goals,” the Iranian president noted.

SM/PA