Iran threatens to ‘decisively respond’ to any US strikes as Biden weighs response to Jordan attack that killed 3 troops
- The warning from Iran’s UN Ambassador follows President Joe Biden’s linking of Tehran to the killing of three US soldiers at a military base in Jordan
- Concerns remain US strikes could further inflame a region roiled by the Israel-Gaza war and ongoing attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea
Iran threatened on Wednesday to “decisively respond” to any US attack on the Islamic Republic, following President Joe Biden’s linking of Tehran to the killing of three US soldiers at a military base in Jordan.
The US has signalled it is preparing for retaliatory strikes in the wake of the Sunday drone attack that also injured at least 40 troops at Tower 22, a secretive base in northeastern Jordan that’s been crucial to the American presence in neighbouring Syria.
However, concerns remain that any additional American strikes could further inflame a region already roiled by Israel’s ongoing war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the ongoing 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 patrolling the key maritime trade route, officials said.
The Iranian warnings first came from Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in New York. He gave a briefing to Iranian journalists late on Tuesday, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
“The Islamic Republic would decisively respond to any attack on the county, its interests and nationals under any pretexts,” IRNA quoted Iravani as saying. He described any possible Iranian retaliation as a “strong response,” without elaborating.
The Iranian mission to the UN did not respond to requests for comment or elaboration Wednesday on Iravani’s remarks.
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US-led coalition strikes Iran-backed Houthi fighters in Yemen
