The flags of Iran flutter during a sandstorm in the south of the capital Tehran on July 4, 2022. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)
TEHRAN – The Iranian military warned the United States and Israel on Friday against threatening Iran with force, Iranian media reported, after US President Joe Biden said he would use force as a last resort to prevent Tehran getting a nuclear weapon.
“The Americans and Zionists (Israel) know very well the price for using the word 'force against Iran,'" Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesman for the Iranian armed forces, was quoted as saying by state media.
The Americans and Zionists (Israel) know very well the price for using the word 'force against Iran … (US President Joe) Biden must have been drowsy when he threatened Iran.
Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi, spokesman for the Iranian armed forces
"Biden must have been drowsy when he threatened Iran," he said, adding, "Watch your soldiers’ pants – they might get wet in the Persian Gulf!”
Asked by Israeli television this week whether his past statements that he would prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon meant he would use force against Iran, Biden replied: "If that was the last resort, yes."
On Thursday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned that any "mistakes" by the US and its allies to stoke a regional crisis will receive a "decisive" response from Iran that will make them regret.
"Unfortunately, some countries in the region are transiting insecurity and terrorism from the West and the United States to the region," Raisi said during a visit to Iran's western city of Kermanshah as reported by the president's website.
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"Iran does not accept any insecurity and crisis in the region, and committing any mistake in this region will be responded with a decisive and regrettable response," Raisi said.
His remarks came amid Biden's current visit to regional countries, including Israel and Saudi Arabia, both Iran's foes. Biden's visit is largely considered to be aimed at countering Iran's influence in the region.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned that any "mistakes" by the US and its allies to stoke a regional crisis will receive a "decisive" response from Iran that will make them regret
Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday signed a joint pledge to deny Iran nuclear arms, an apparent move toward accommodating Israel's calls for a "credible military threat" by world powers.
Iran's military power and capabilities are a guarantee of security for the region, Raisi said, adding that the intervention of foreigners including the US in the region will only lead to crisis and insecurity.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, saying that its nuclear program is for solely peaceful purposes.
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This handout picture provided by the Iranian presidential office shows Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi (center) greeting supporters during a rally in the western city of Kermanshah on July 14, 2022. (IRANIAN PRESIDENCY / AFP)
Tehran struck a deal with six major powers in 2015 under which it limited its uranium enrichment program to make it harder to develop a nuclear weapon in return for relief from international sanctions.
Then US president Donald Trump reneged on the deal in 2018 and reimposed harsh sanctions on Iran, prompting Tehran to start violating the agreement's nuclear limits about a year later.
US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday signed a joint pledge to deny Iran nuclear arms, an apparent move toward accommodating Israel's calls for a "credible military threat" by world powers
Diplomatic efforts to resurrect the deal have so far failed.
Tehran dismisses US ‘lies’
Iran's foreign ministry on Thursday rejected a US official's claims as "lies" about Iran's alleged involvement in the Ukraine conflict.
"Apparently, lying and cheating are contagious among US politicians who resort to fabrication for evil ends,” ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani tweeted.
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Jake Sullivan, Biden's national security advisor, said on the previous day, "Russia deepening an alliance with Iran to kill Ukrainians is something that the whole world should look at and see as a profound threat."
Earlier in the week, Washington also accused Iran of planning to provide Russia with combat drones that can be used in the conflict in Ukraine, charges denied by Tehran.