Iran Downplays Netanyahu's Threats, Says Tehran Has 'Israel-Hitting' Missiles

Iran Downplays Netanyahu's Threats, Says Tehran Has 'Israel-Hitting' Missiles
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Iran Downplays Netanyahu's Threats, Says Tehran Has 'Israel-Hitting' Missiles

Iran Downplays Netanyahu's Threats, Says Tehran Has 'Israel-Hitting' Missiles

Iran possesses "Israel-hitting" missiles that are designed to target the "occupied territory", said Iranian Defense Ministry spokesman Reza Talaei

He explained that the system was built by local experts and included missiles named after General Qassem Soleimani, the mastermind behind the external operations of the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who was killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad in 2020.

The spokesman further noted that the weapon system is designed proportionately according to the threats.

The government-affiliated ISNA agency reported to the spokesperson, "Iran is the region's prime power in defense."

"We were all by ourselves before the war, but today they say no equation in the region can be balanced without Iran; this is the defensive power that has been achieved."

Last August, the Defense Ministry announced the deployment of the Soleimani missile with a range of 1400 kilometers, three years after its development was announced in August 2020.

Tasnim agency reported last month that the Soleimani missile is the first tactical missile that operates with solid fuel and can easily reach Israel, pointing out the possibility of extending its range to 1700 - 1800 kilometers.

- Israeli Warning

Iran's Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdollahian dismissed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements regarding Iran in his UN General Assembly address.

Netanyahu emphasized at the United Nations last Friday the importance of confronting Iran with a "credible nuclear threat."

Later, his office retracted the statement, saying that he had misspoken and that his prepared text said, "credible military threat" instead of "credible nuclear threat," according to AFP.

Netanyahu, who has repeatedly used the UN stage to issue dark warnings about Tehran, briefly paused at the General Assembly when he appeared to threaten a nuclear attack if Tehran pursues its atomic bomb.

"Above all -- Iran must face a credible nuclear threat. As long as I'm prime minister of Israel, I will do everything in my power to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons," Netanyahu said.

In Tehran, official media reported that Abdollahian responded to the Israeli Prime Minister's statements by saying, "Nobody takes Netanyahu's threats seriously."

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the General Assembly in New York, he said the Zionist entity is now at its weakest. He noted that some international officials who attended the UN General Assembly session referred to Netanyahu's behavior as a "joke."

- Oman Initiative

Abdollahian commented shortly after meeting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the General Assembly in New York.

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Abdollahian informed Guterres that Tehran continues its correspondence with the US side, aiming to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.

He indicated that Iran continues to exchange messages with the US, and the Sultan of Oman's plan is still on the table, adding that if other parties are ready, Tehran is serious about returning to the nuclear deal.

Abdollahian discussed several issues with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, including the situation in Syria, the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the nuclear deal, and the long-term strategic cooperation agreement between Iran and Russia.

At a press conference in New York on Saturday, Lavrov stated that Iran has consistently denied any intentions of pursuing nuclear weapons, with their Supreme Leader even issuing a fatwa on the matter. He condemned the E3 decision to extend sanctions on Iran.

He asserted there was no evidence of Iran sending drones to Russia for its military operations in Ukraine.

Lavrov emphasized that Iran's missile program has nothing to do with the nuclear program, wondering how the next US administration would deal with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA).

- Nuclear Inspectors

Iran's recent move to revoke the licenses of some of the most experienced international inspectors monitoring its nuclear program has been met with global and regional calls for cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Iran's decision followed criticisms from IAEA Director Rafael Grossi regarding the lack of progress in investigations into activities at two covert sites and the halting of surveillance cameras.

Tehran refused to hand over IAEA surveillance camera recordings and removed other cameras.

Iran has been enriching uranium at 60 percent since April 2021, the same month negotiations began in Vienna aiming to revive the nuclear deal.

However, the Vienna track faltered weeks after the onset of the Russo-Ukrainian war.

The last attempts by the European Union to conclude the negotiations failed in September of the previous year.

Abdollahian told Guterres that things are on the right track if the IAEA operates within the technical framework. However, the situation deteriorates when others prioritize their political views over the agency's professional matters.

In February, Iran's former Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi, warned that continuous Western pressure might force Tehran to act defensively and seek nuclear weapons.

Last Friday, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, told journalists that Iran's decision to prevent UN nuclear inspectors suggests it is not interested in being a responsible actor regarding its atomic program.

The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Mohammad Eslami, arrived in Vienna on Sunday to participate in the IAEA General Assembly meeting.

Tasnim reported that Eslami will meet Grossi during this visit.



Texas Flood Toll Rises to 24 as Rescuers Search for Missing Children

Members of Task Force 1 deploy boats along the Guadalupe River in the wake of a destructive flooding event in Kerrville on Friday July 4, 2025. (Christopher Lee/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)
Members of Task Force 1 deploy boats along the Guadalupe River in the wake of a destructive flooding event in Kerrville on Friday July 4, 2025. (Christopher Lee/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)
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Texas Flood Toll Rises to 24 as Rescuers Search for Missing Children

Members of Task Force 1 deploy boats along the Guadalupe River in the wake of a destructive flooding event in Kerrville on Friday July 4, 2025. (Christopher Lee/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)
Members of Task Force 1 deploy boats along the Guadalupe River in the wake of a destructive flooding event in Kerrville on Friday July 4, 2025. (Christopher Lee/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)

Rescuers were desperately searching for at least 20 girls missing from a riverside summer camp, officials said Friday, after torrential rains caused a "catastrophic" flash flood that killed at least 24 people as it swept through south-central Texas.

"At this point we're at about 24 fatalities," Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha told an evening press conference as rescue teams scrambled to locate stranded residents in the region northwest of San Antonio, reported AFP.

Some of the dead were children, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said at a previous news conference.

The county sheriff said there were "kids that are still missing", adding that between 23 and 25 people were unaccounted for.

Lieutenant Governor Patrick previously said "about 23" girls attending a summer camp in the flooded Kerr County were missing.

They were part of a group of around 750 children at Camp Mystic, a girls summer camp along the banks of the Guadalupe River which rose 26 feet (eight meters) in 45 minutes with heavy rainfall overnight.

"That does not mean they've been lost, they could be in a tree, they could be out of communication," he said.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he was signing a "disaster declaration" to boost resources in counties in the region.

"It's terrible, the floods," US President Donald Trump told reporters Friday night. "It's shocking."

Asked if Texas would receive federal aid, he said: "Oh yeah, sure, we'll take care of it. We're working with the governor."

- Rescue efforts -

A massive rescue operation was underway in the region, with around 500 personnel and 14 helicopters helping in the search for survivors.

Texas military official Major General Thomas Suelzer told reporters at least 237 people had been rescued or evacuated by emergency personnel, with 167 rescues performed using helicopters.

Freeman Martin, director of the state's public safety department, told the evening conference: "We had a hard time getting in this morning with the weather the way it was."

"As the day went on, it picked up and we were able to rescue more and recover more, that will continue tomorrow," Martin said, calling the disaster a "mass casualty event."

US media reported that trucks had arrived at Camp Mystic to transport stranded people.

State and local officials warned against residents traveling to the area which includes camp grounds dotted along the river, with dozens of roads "impassable."

Videos on social media showed houses and trees swept away by the flash flood caused by heavy overnight rain of up to 12 inches -- one-third of Kerr County's average annual rainfall.

Governor Abbott shared a video on X of a victim being plucked from the top of a tree by a rescuer dangling from a helicopter, as floodwaters raged below.

"Air rescue missions like this are being done around the clock. We will not stop until everyone is accounted for," he said.

The Texas National Guard sent rescue teams and the US Coast Guard joined efforts as well.

- 'Another wave' -

Public safety official Martin warned of "another wave" that could impact other counties in the state, adding that "this is not going to end today".

Kerr County officials have repeatedly said they were unaware of an impending flood overnight from Thursday to Friday.

"We didn't know this flood was coming," Kerr County judge Rob Kelly said earlier on Friday, adding that the region has "floods all the time."

"This is the most dangerous river valley in the United States," he added, referring to the Guadalupe River.

Soila Reyna, 55, a Kerrville resident who works at a local church helping people who lost their belongings, witnessed the devastation unfold.

"It has been years since we had a flood, but nothing like this," Reyna said.

"Nothing like as catastrophic as this, where it involved children, people and just the loss of people's houses and you know, it's just crazy," she added.

Forecasters issued a flood warning for Kerr County, urging those living near the river to "move to higher ground."

Flash floods, which occur when the ground is unable to absorb torrential rainfall, are not unusual.

But scientists say in recent years human-driven climate change has made extreme weather events like floods, droughts and heatwaves more frequent and intense.

In mid-June, at least 10 people were killed by flash flooding in San Antonio following torrential rains.

In the northeastern state of New Jersey, at least two people were killed when a tree fell on their vehicle during a "severe storm," local police confirmed on Friday.