Iran warns war with Israel could restart at any moment

'We are not in a ceasefire,' say Iranian officials

A person walks past a billboard featuring a picture of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at Valiasr Square in Tehran, Iran. EPA

A senior Iranian official warned Monday that war with Israel could erupt at any moment, describing the current lull after June’s 12-day conflict as only a temporary halt.

“We must be prepared at every moment for confrontation; right now, we are not even in a ceasefire (agreement); we are in a cessation of hostilities,” said First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref.

The comments are the latest in an exchange of belligerent remarks by both Iran and Israel since their unprecedented war in June. Last month, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi threatened to respond to another Israeli or US attack in a "more decisive manner".

On Sunday, Yahya Rahim Safavi, a military advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told Iranian media the country was “preparing plans for the worst-case scenario”.

“We are not in a ceasefire, we are in a stage of war. No protocol, regulation or agreement has been written between us and the US or Israel,” said Mr Safavi.

“I think another war may happen, and after that, there may be no more wars,” he added.

"The Americans and the Zionists say they create peace through power; therefore, Iran must also become strong, because in the system of nature, the weak are trampled,” he said, calling for the strengthening of Iran's missile, drone and cyber systems.

The US briefly joined the war, striking nuclear sites but it still remains unclear how devastating the damage was.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz last week also renewed threats against Mr Khamenei, who he had threatened to assassinate during the war. In late June, he told Israeli media that the army had tried to kill Mr Khamenei during the war but, despite searching for him, the opportunity did not arise. “If he had been in our sights, we would have taken him out,” he said at the time.

Israel's surprise attack on June 13 targeted Iranian generals, nuclear enrichment sites and scientists, and air defences. Iran retaliated by launching missile and drone attacks at Israel.

Fighting stopped after US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire on June 24.