Iran’s state broadcaster (IRIB) sparked criticism by downplaying Israel’s overnight strikes on Iranian military targets Saturday while encouraging further escalation of the conflict.
In a program aired Saturday, the presenter mockingly challenged Israel to join Iran’s bonfire night, asserting that the firecrackers used by Iranian youth during the annual Charshanbeh Souri festival are far louder than Israel’s attack on Tehran that day.
“What if there’s another strike in response in case of an Iranian counterattack, turning the situation into a game of ping-pong," the conservative publication Asr-e Iran addressed the state broadcaster in an article. "What if [Israel] becomes more emboldened after the US election? Can we still call it a ‘firecracker game’ then?”
The article argued that Israel had never conducted an operation of this scale against the Islamic Republic and was openly taking responsibility for the action.
Israel is widely known for conducting numerous clandestine operations in Iran, including explosions at military and nuclear facilities over the years and the assassination of a Hamas leader, often without officially acknowledging responsibility.
Iran's state broadcaster is run by ultra-hardliners, many of whom advocate a tougher stance against Israel. They have also been pushing for a change in Iran's defense doctrine, meaning to start building a nuclear bomb.
In his first response to the Israeli attack on Sunday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei refrained from an outright call for retaliation and delegated the decision to unspecified authorities. He said the strikes' impact should neither be exaggerated nor downplayed.
Before his reaction, the state broadcaster had several guests who did exactly that. Hardline politician and former diplomat Mohammad-Javad Larijani appeared on a program and called Israeli strikes scandalous due to its lack of impact.
In another program aired shortly after the strikes, the presenter spoke emphatically about Iran’s response to Israel’s attack, as though it had already been decided.
"A few revolutionary-looking presenters and fake celebrities created by IRIB...claim that Iran's response to Israel’s insolence is certain," Mostafa Faghihi, editor of a major conservative website, wrote on X. "Doesn’t this country have a military command or Supreme National Security Council?"