The Iranian chief announced his willingness to retaliate against any act of hostility. Tehran also branded EU military bodies as terrorists.
Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei warned of regional war in the event of a US attack / © TSN.ua
Iran's Supreme Guide Ayatollah Ali Khamenei asserted that a potential assault by the United States on the nation could trigger a widespread regional dispute.
This was conveyed on Sunday by the semi-official Tasnim news outlet, attributing it to the leader’s declaration, france24 indicates.
According to Khamenei, should Washington “initiate a conflict,” it “will morph into a regional war” this time. He underlined that Iran purportedly does not desire hostility, however “the Iranian populace will deliver a resolute blow to whoever attacks or applies pressure.”
“This stands as the sternest caution to the US from Khamenei, aged 86, in recent memory,” the source states.
Iran labels EU armies “terrorist”
Amid escalated oratory, Iranian Parliament Head Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf stated that Tehran now views all defense forces of European Union nations as terrorist groups.
This judgment stemmed from the recent agreement within the EU to place the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the roll of terrorist organizations due to its involvement in suppressing extensive demonstrations in Iran.
Ghalibaf cited a 2019 statute enacted following the US’s designation of the IRGC as a terrorist entity, which empowers Iran to enact reciprocal actions against countries that endorse such resolutions.
Denials regarding exercises in the Strait of Hormuz
An Iranian functionary, in remarks to Reuters, refuted media accounts regarding purportedly scheduled IRGC naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz, a pivotal waterway through which roughly a fifth of global oil provisions transit.
Earlier, the state-operated Press TV channel broadcasted that the drills were slated to occur on February 1-2, yet no official pronouncements were issued concerning this.
Endeavors to lessen strain
Qatar has proclaimed that its foreign minister is journeying to Iran to aid in easing tensions within the region amidst incisive pronouncements and reciprocal threats.
The circumstances surrounding Iran persist as fraught, and Tehran’s pronouncements regarding the likelihood of a regional war are amplifying anxieties of further intensification in the Middle East.
Previously, Ali Khamenei relocated to a fortified subterranean shelter in Tehran subsequent to warnings from security agencies regarding a conceivable American offensive in the foreseeable future.