Iran has told Washington that it will respond harshly to the United States if it is directly involved in Israel's military campaign, Iranian Ambassador to the UN in Geneva Ali Bahreini said on Wednesday, UNN reports citing Reuters.
Details
Ali Bahreini said he believes the United States is "complicit in what Israel is doing." Iran will set a red line and respond if the United States crosses it, he said, without specifying what actions would provoke a response.
On Friday, Israel launched an air war after saying it had concluded that Iran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran denies wanting to acquire nuclear weapons. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Iran to "unconditionally surrender."
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Bahreini called Trump's remarks "absolutely unfounded and very hostile. We cannot ignore them. We are closely monitoring what Trump is saying. We will take this into account in our calculations and assessments."
The United States has so far taken only indirect action, including helping to shoot down missiles fired at Israel. According to three US officials, they are deploying more fighter jets to the Middle East and expanding the deployment of other military aircraft.
"I am confident that (the Iranian military) will respond decisively, proportionately and appropriately. We are closely monitoring the level of US involvement... We will respond when necessary," he said.
Addition
Thousands of people fled Tehran and other major cities on Wednesday, Iranian media reported, as Iran and Israel launched new missile strikes against each other.
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