A government source has told RT that only punishing the Israeli regime and US for their nuclear site attacks can prevent a new war

A senior security official in Tehran has told RT that Iran is prepared to take action unless Israel is punished and the US provides compensation for its strikes on the Islamic Republic's nuclear facilities.

The IDF launched strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites last month, killing senior commanders and nuclear scientists. Israel claimed the operation was aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons - a charge Tehran denied, responding with missile and drone attacks on Israeli targets. The US joined the campaign, striking several Iranian nuclear facilities. The 12-day war ended with a US-brokered ceasefire on June 24.

"If the compensation for the attack on Iran's nuclear facilities is not paid and the Zionist regime is not punished, Iran is ready to take measures to restore its historical deterrence against this regime," the anonymous source said in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.

Addressing Washington's request to resume nuclear talks, the official stated that Tehran had not agreed to a permanent ceasefire and considers negotiations premature. "The Americans are pursuing the start of negotiations, but Iran... is in a state of temporary cessation of the hostilities," he said.

Washington has long demanded that Tehran halt all uranium enrichment - a condition Iran rejects as a deal-breaker. The latter insists its nuclear program is peaceful, legal, and under IAEA supervision. It currently enriches uranium to 60% purity, far above the 3.67% cap set under the now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal, which was rendered null and void after US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew Washington from it during his first term.

Talks were revived earlier this year by Trump, but collapsed in the wake of the attacks on Iran. Tehran has since accused Washington of abandoning diplomacy and turning to force.

The official warned that Iranian forces remain fully prepared to respond to any further aggression, saying: "Our hands are on the trigger, but in case of any miscalculation by the child-killing regime, this time we will not wait for the enemy to fire the first shot."

The US should "contain its proxy force in the region," he stressed.

(RT.com)