'We have prepared ourselves' Iran's leaders say Europe must rein in Israel or face 'great war'

Iran is bracing itself for likely Israeli attacks on its nuclear sites as the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, yesterday urged the west to leave the Middle East.

- Patrick Wintour

Khamenei met students and scientists in his first public appearance since ordering a high-risk missile attack in response to Israel's attacks on the leadership of Hezbollah, the armed group Tehran has long funded in Lebanon.

Iran, he said, was still in mourning over the assassination last Friday of Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

But he added: "Being in mourning does not mean being depressed and sitting in a corner." Iran's retaliation has appeared to rally its previously divided political elite as the leadership justified the attack by insisting it was effective, lawful and unavoidable to restore deterrence and Iran's sovereignty.

Abbas Araghchi, the foreign minister, made a round of diplomatic calls, including to his European counterparts, insisting that Iran was not seeking escalation. Unlike Israeli attacks in Lebanon, Iran's targets had been strictly military and not civilian, he claimed.

Asked yesterday if Iran had given any direct warnings to the US about the attacks, Araghchi said: "No, I do not confirm such a thing. But we had an exchange of messages through the Swiss embassy in Tehran, giving the necessary warnings to the US."

He said that message was sent after Iran had launched the missiles into Israel.