Iran's Latest Threat to the United States
The conflict between Iran and the United States is intensifying. In the latest development, Iran has issued a warning that US military bases, facilities, and assets would become targets should the United States launch a military strike.
Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations, conveyed the statement in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the president of the Security Council.
Previously, US President Donald Trump had deployed warships, fighter jets, and other military equipment to the Middle East in his effort to prevent Iran from producing a nuclear bomb — something Tehran insists it is not doing.
According to the AFP news agency on Friday (20 February 2026), the Iranian ambassador’s letter to the UN Secretary-General cited a social media post by Trump on Wednesday, in which he said the United States might need to use British military bases, including one on an island in the Indian Ocean, “if Iran decides not to make a deal.”
“Such aggressive statements by the President of the United States… signal a real risk of military aggression, the consequences of which would be catastrophic for the region and would constitute a serious threat to international peace and security,” Iravani wrote in the letter.
He called on the Security Council, as the UN’s highest decision-making body, to “ensure that the United States immediately ceases its unlawful threats of the use of force.”
The letter stated that Iran remains committed “to a diplomatic solution” and to “on the basis of reciprocity, addressing ambiguities regarding its peaceful nuclear programme.”
However, Iravani warned that should Iran face military aggression, “all bases, facilities, and assets of enemy forces in the region would become legitimate targets in the context of Iran’s defensive response.”
Trump has repeatedly threatened military action against Iran, referencing the authorities’ crackdown on anti-government protesters last month and Iran’s nuclear programme.
On Thursday (19 February), Trump said Iran had a maximum of 15 days to reach a deal, or the United States would strike if Iran failed to do so.