The Commander-in-Chief of Iran’s Armed Forces, Sayyed Ali Khamenei, meets with a number of commanders of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran on April 21, 2024. (X/Khamenei_ir)

"In Operation True Promise, the armed forces showed a good image of their capabilities and power and an admirable image of the Iranian nation," said the leader of the Islamic Revolution Sayyed Ali Khamenei during a meeting with commanders of the Iranian Armed Forces on Sunday, also considered National Army Day in Iran.

Sayyed Khamenei told the commanders that Iran's Armed Forces "also proved the emergence of the power of the Iranian nation's determination at the international level."

He also emphasized that recent events, notably Operation True Promise, have "created a sense of splendor and magnificence about Islamic Iran in the eyes of the world and among international observers."

Talking from an Iranian standpoint of how to assess the extent of the success of an operation, the Iranian Leader stressed the importance of achieving "maximum gains" with the least possible "costs".

In other words, "The number of missiles that were launched or that have hit targets is of secondary importance, what truly matters is demonstrating the international prowess of our people's will and armed forces," adding that this was made clear by Tel Aviv's evident confusion and discomfort.

Moreover, he explained that "in every event, there are costs and gains, and what truly matters is reducing costs and maximizing gains wisely," adding, "This is precisely what the armed forces have achieved in the recent incidents."

Khamenei commended the efforts and activities of the IRGC, the Iranian Army, and police forces, urging them to persist in their endeavors and proactively confront hostilities and adversaries through innovative approaches.

“We should not stop even for a moment because stoppage means turning back. Therefore, innovation in the production of weapons and methods, as well as knowledge of the enemy's strategies must always be on the agenda,” the leader stated.

Iranian FM: 'Strike' was more like 'toys our children play with'

"What happened last night was not a strike," said Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in an interview with NBC News earlier on Friday, before adding, "They were more like toys that our children play with – not drones."

During the interview, which took place in New York where the FM is attending a UN Security Council session, Amir-Abdollahian explained "As long as there is no new adventurism by Israel against our interests, then we are not going to have any new reactions."

However, the FM stressed, that if Tel Aviv "takes decisive action against my country and this is proven to us, our response will be immediate and to the maximum, and will cause them to regret it."

Regarding the Iranian retaliation, Amir-Abdollahian said it was "a warning" noting that Tehran "could have hit Haifa and Tel Aviv...We could have also targeted all the economic ports of Israel."

However, the FM emphasized, "our red line was civilians...we only had a military purpose."

Read more: Iran: The age of change has begun