US-Israel Attack Civilian Ships, Iran Threatens Retaliation

Tehran (ANTARA) - The United States and Israel have attacked civilian ships and passengers in the Persian Gulf, and if the attacks continue, Iran will carry out retaliation, said spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, Ebrahim Zolfaghari.

“The US and Israel, due to continued defeats on the battlefield and inability to counter attacks from Iran’s armed forces, have begun targeting civilian ships and passengers in the Persian Gulf,” said Zolfaghari, as quoted by Iranian TV station SNN on Saturday (21/3).

He added that if the US and Israel continue these “heinous” attacks, Iran will take “serious retaliatory measures”.

On 28 February, the US and Israel began attacking several targets in Iran, including in Tehran, causing damage and killing civilians.

Iran then launched retaliatory strikes on Israeli territory and US military targets in the Middle East.

The US and Israel initially claimed that the “preliminary strikes” were necessary to counter threats from Iran’s nuclear programme, but later stated that the goal was to change the ruling regime in Iran.