Iran on Wednesday threatened to respond “firmly” to any US attack on the Islamic republic after President Joe Biden linked Tehran to the killing of three US soldiers at a military base in Jordan.
The United States is preparing for retaliatory strikes in the Middle East after Sunday’s drone strike also injured at least 40 soldiers at Tower 22, a secret base in northeastern Jordan that is crucial to America’s presence in neighboring Syria. It was suggested that
But further attacks by the US could further intensify a region already roiled by Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and ongoing attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels against ships in the Red Sea. Concerns remain that there is.
A U.S. Navy destroyer sailing through the waterway shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired by the Houthis late Tuesday, officials said, but the latest attack targeted U.S. forces patrolling a key maritime trade route. It is said that
Iran’s warning first came from Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeed Iravani, in New York. He met with Iranian reporters late Tuesday, state news agency IRNA reported.
“The Islamic Republic will firmly respond to any attack against the country, its interests and people under any pretext,” IRNA quoted Irabani as saying. Regarding possible Iranian retaliation, he called it a “strong response” but did not elaborate.
Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to requests for comment or details on Irabani’s remarks on Wednesday.
Iravani also denied that Iran and the United States had exchanged any messages through intermediaries or directly in recent days.
Al Jazeera, a pan-Arab satellite broadcaster based in and funded by Qatar, earlier reported that such communications had taken place.
Qatar often acts as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran.
“No such messages were exchanged,” Irabani said.
But the Iranian government is keeping an eye on U.S. threats to retaliate against attacks on Jordanian bases.
Revolutionary Guards Commander Gen. Hossein Salami, who answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, said at an event on Wednesday that “sometimes the enemy issues threats, but recently there have been some threats between the words of U.S. officials. I can hear it.” “We tell them you’ve been through us and we know each other. We won’t leave threats unanswered.”
“We are not post-war, but there is no fear of war,” he added, according to IRNA.
On Saturday, the general in charge of Iran’s air defense force said the country was in “the best defense posture.” This raises concerns for civil aviation transiting through Iran as well.
After a senior general was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2020, Iranian air defenses accidentally shot down a Ukrainian airliner, killing all 176 people on board.
Meanwhile, attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels continue in the Red Sea, with US warships being targeted in recent days.
The missile fired Tuesday night targeted the Arleigh Burke-class missile destroyer USS Gravely, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
“No injuries or damage were reported,” the statement said.
Houthi military spokesperson, Brig. General Yahya Salih claimed the attack in a statement Wednesday morning, calling it “a victory against the oppression of the Palestinian people and a response to the American and British aggression against our country.”
Salih claimed that the Houthis had fired “several” missiles, but that the U.S. Navy had not acknowledged them.
Houthi claims have been exaggerated in the past, with missiles sometimes colliding with land and missing their targets.
The Houthis claimed on Monday, without evidence, that they had targeted the USS Lewis B. Puller, a surface landing base used by Navy SEALs and others. The United States said there was no attack.
Rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea since November over Israeli attacks on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
But they frequently target ships with weak or unclear ties to Israel, endangering shipping in key routes for global trade between Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
On Friday, the Houthis attacked a merchant ship with a missile, starting a fire that continued to burn for several hours.
