Iran Warns It Will Target US Assets if a New War Breaks Out
Istanbul (ANTARA) - Iran will regard US political assets and infrastructure in countries involved in a new war against Tehran as “legitimate targets” if Iranian officials are killed or its civilians die, a senior Iranian security official has warned.
The warning was issued amid rising tensions between Tehran and Washington, the semi-official Iranian Fars news agency reported.
The unnamed official said Iran assumed that the US and Israel would launch new attacks, and considered Washington’s diplomatic overtures unreliable.
According to the official, that view had been reinforced after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio made remarks in Athens that Tehran interpreted as a historical and civilisational justification for Washington’s war against Iran.
The official said Iran’s political and intellectual leaders were increasingly concluding that US policy in the Middle East was directed by Israel, which they believed was preventing Washington from pursuing a diplomatic settlement.
The official also claimed that Israel was a priority in US President Donald Trump’s Middle East policy.
Iran now considers itself to be at war with the US, the official said. Tehran also views Washington’s economic and naval blockade, as well as restrictions on Iranian airspace, as a continuation of the military aggression that began on 28 February.
The official said pressure from various groups in Iranian society was pushing the government to take “decisive action” to break the blockade, on what Tehran describes as its right to self-defence.
The official further said Iran had instructed its operational units that, in the event of a large-scale conflict involving the killing of Iranian officials and civilians, US political assets and infrastructure in countries taking part in the war would be considered “legitimate targets”.
The warning came as tensions between Tehran and Washington escalated over the US naval blockade and restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February, triggering a wider regional conflict. Subsequent diplomatic efforts have yet to resolve disagreements over the blockade and security arrangements along the strategic waterway.
Iran’s warning also followed Israeli media reports that dozens of Israeli fighter jets had flown close to the Iranian border earlier this week. Some US sources suggested the manoeuvre may have been intended to provoke an Iranian response.