Iran has issued a direct threat to Washington, warning that any US involvement in Israel’s escalating air assault could ignite a full-scale regional war.
“Any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said in an interview with Al Jazeera English on Wednesday. He did not elaborate, but the remark came amid overnight Israeli strikes in Tehran and growing fears of a wider conflict.
Israeli warplanes as per a report by AP, targeted facilities used for uranium centrifuges and missile production. A massive explosion rocked the eastern Hakimiyeh neighbourhood of Tehran, home to a paramilitary academy of the Revolutionary Guard. At least 585 people have been killed in Iran, including 239 civilians, since the bombardment began on Friday, according to the Washington-based group Human Rights Activists.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, said Tehran had already communicated its red lines to Washington.
“We will react whenever it is needed,” he said, as quoted by Reuters. “We are closely following the level of involvement of the US. We will respond if the United States crosses [the red line].”
He accused the Washington of being “complicit in what Israel is doing” and said Tehran would factor US actions and words into its response strategy. “We are vigilant about what Trump is saying. We will put it in our calculations and assessments.”
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and threatened Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a social media post, warning that the US knows where he is hiding. However, he added, there were no plans to kill him “at least not for now.”
Iran’s military leaders in response have promised more attacks. “The operations carried out so far have been solely for the purpose of warning and deterrence,” said Gen. Abdul Rahim Mousavi, Iran’s army chief, as per AP. “The punishment operation will be carried out soon.”
Israel said it intercepted 10 missiles overnight and claimed Iranian strikes are becoming less frequent. Iran has not explained the drop, but Israel has targeted key launch infrastructure. So far, Iran has fired more than 400 missiles and hundreds of drones, killing at least 24 in Israel and injuring hundreds more. Some missiles struck apartment buildings in central Israel, forcing repeated evacuations.
Also read, Iran Rains Missiles On Israel, Then A Big Charge Over Nuclear Talks
In Tehran, panic spread. As per a report by AP, thousands fled the city, long gas lines formed, and shops, including those in the iconic Grand Bazaar, remained shut. Iranian authorities have largely remained silent about the ongoing bombardment.
