Iran threatened Wednesday to “firmly respond” 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 US has signaled it is preparing for a retaliatory strike in the Middle East following Sunday’s drone strike that also injured at least 40 soldiers at Tower 22, a secret base in northeastern Jordan that is vital to America’s presence in neighboring Syria.
However, fears remain that any additional American strikes could further inflame a region already battered by Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip and continued attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea.
A US Navy destroyer in the waterway shot down an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the Houthis late Tuesday, the latest attack targeting American forces guarding a key maritime trade route, officials said.
Iran’s warning first came from Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in New York. He briefed Iranian journalists late Tuesday, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
“The Islamic Republic will respond firmly to any attack on its country, interests and people under any pretext,” IRNA quoted Iravani as saying. He described any possible Iranian retaliation as a “strong response,” without elaborating.
Iran’s warning first came from Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in New York, when he briefed Iranian journalists late Tuesday. AP President Biden speaks to the media outside the White House before departing for Florida on January 30, 2024. REUTERS
Iran’s mission to the UN did not respond to requests for comment or details Wednesday on Iravani’s statement.
Iravani also denied that Iran and the US had exchanged any messages over the past few days, either through intermediaries or directly.
The pan-Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera, based in and funded by Qatar, reported earlier that such communications had taken place.
Qatar is often an intermediary between Washington and Tehran.
“Such messages are not exchanged,” Iravani said.
The US has signaled it is preparing for retaliatory strikes in the Middle East following Sunday’s drone strike that also injured at least 40 soldiers at Tower 22, a secret base in northeastern Jordan. AP Sgt. William Rivers, Spc. Breona Moffett and Spc. Kennedy Sanders was killed in Sunday’s attack. US Department of Defense/AFP via Getty Images
But the Iranian government has taken note of the threat of US retaliation against the attack on the base in Jordan.
“Sometimes, our enemies pose threats and nowadays we hear some threats between words by American officials,” Revolutionary Guard commander General Hossein Salami, who answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said at an event Wednesday. “We tell them that you have experienced us and we know each other. We leave no threat unanswered.”
“We are not after the war, but we are not afraid of war,” he added, according to IRNA.
On Saturday, a general in charge of Iran’s air defenses described them as being on “highest defense readiness.” That raises concerns for commercial flights traveling through and throughout Iran as well.
After a US drone strike killed a top general in 2020, Iran’s air defenses mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane, killing all 176 people on board.
Meanwhile, attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels continue in the Red Sea, the latest targeting a US warship.
The missile launched Tuesday night targeted the USS Gravely, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, the US military’s Central Command said in a statement.
“No injuries or damage were reported,” the statement said.
Houthi military spokesman, Brig. General Yahya Saree, claimed the attack in a statement Wednesday morning, calling it “a victory for the oppression of the Palestinian people and a response to the American-British aggression against our country.”
Saree claimed the Houthis fired “several” missiles, something the US Navy did not acknowledge.
Houthi claims have been exaggerated in the past, and their missiles have sometimes crashed on the ground and failed to reach their targets.
The Houthis claimed without evidence on Monday to have targeted the USS Lewis B. Puller, a floating landing base used by Navy SEALs and others. The US said there was no attack.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Guards, said his government had taken note of the threat of US retaliation following Saturday’s attack. khamenei.ir/AFP via Getty Images
Since November, rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea over Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Gaza.
But they often target ships with weak or unclear ties to Israel, endangering shipping on key routes for global trade between Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
Houthi fighters hit a commercial ship with missiles on Friday, sparking a fire that burned for hours.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
