The view from Iran Behind the rhetoric, signs of an uneasy balance

Tehran has played down the impact of Israeli airstrikes carried out against it, raising hopes that a cycle of escalatory state-on-state attacks can be averted, and that previous Iranian threats of retaliation will be shelved.

- Patrick Wintou

But Iran remains on alert in case the attacks, during which explosions were reported in the sky over the cities of Isfahan and Tabriz, do not mark the end Israel's response to the massive missile and drone attack launched last Saturday night.

Speaking in New York, Iran's foreign minister, Hossein AmirAbdollahian, said the drones caused no damage or casualties. "The Zionist regime's media supporters, in a desperate effort, tried to make victory out of their defeat, while the downed mini-drones have not caused any damage or casualties," he said.

The military commander of Isfahan province in central Iran said that the explosion heard early yesterday morning was due to air defences firing at suspicious objects and did not lead to any accident or damage. Other reports suggested the windows in several office buildings were broken.