A senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei underscored that “We are not after starting a war. But we are not after negotiations for the sake of negotiations either”. “Iran will not negotiate its defensive power... with anybody under any circumstances”, he added. Commenting on the normalisation of relations between Israel and Bahrain and the UAE, the official assessed that “it is opening an extensive front… Just imagine every Israeli in any military base can be a target for groups who are opposed to Israel”.