According to a report by The New York Times, Iranian officials revealed that in the face of a potential retaliatory attack by Israel, Iran has ordered its armed forces to prepare for war with Israel, while also hoping to avoid conflict.

Reportedly, four Iranian officials, who requested anonymity, said in phone interviews this week that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered the military to draw up several plans to respond to Israeli attacks. They stated that the scope of Iran's retaliation will largely depend on the severity of the Israeli attacks.

The report states that the aforementioned Iranian official has indicated that if Israel's retaliatory attacks cause widespread destruction and significant casualties, Iran will retaliate. However, if Israel confines its attacks to a few military bases and warehouses storing missiles and drones, Iran is likely to take no action.

The New York Times also cited Iranian officials as saying that Khamenei has ordered that if Israel attacks Iran's oil and energy infrastructure or nuclear facilities, or assassinates senior officials, Iran will certainly respond. The report further states that officials, including two members of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said that if Israel's attack causes significant harm, the measures Iran is considering in response include: launching up to ballistic missiles at Israel; escalating attacks by Iran's "proxy organizations" in the region; disrupting global energy supplies and shipping through the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz.

Since Iran launched a large-scale ballistic missile attack on Israel earlier this month, Israel has repeatedly vowed retaliation. On a certain day this month, The Washington Post reported that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had informed President Biden that Israel would target Iran's military infrastructure rather than its nuclear or oil facilities.

However, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office later shared this report on social media and wrote: "We listen to the United States, but we will make the final decision based on national interests." Meanwhile, Iran has repeatedly publicly stated that it is prepared for possible attacks from Israel and will respond with strength.

On the day of this month, Hossein Salami, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, stated that if Israel were to commit any acts of aggression against Iran, Iran would respond with retribution that would cause Israel "pain." Additionally, on the diplomatic front, Iran is actively seeking support from regional countries.