Tehran (TDI): Iran will treat any attack against it as “an all-out war,” a senior Iranian official said on Friday, as a US aircraft carrier strike group and other military assets head toward the Middle East amid rising tensions.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said Iran’s armed forces were on the highest level of alert, warning that Tehran would not distinguish between limited or large-scale military action, according to Reuters.
“This time we will treat any attack, limited, unlimited, surgical or otherwise, as an all-out war against us,” the official said. “We will respond in the hardest way possible.”
The comments came after US President Donald Trump confirmed that a significant US naval force was moving toward the region, even as he played down the likelihood of immediate military action.
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“We’re watching Iran,” Trump said on Thursday. “We have a lot of ships going that direction, just in case… I’d rather not see anything happen.”
The Iranian official said Tehran hoped the US military buildup was not intended for direct confrontation, but warned that any violation of Iran’s sovereignty would trigger a forceful response.
“A country under constant military threat from the United States has no option but to ensure everything at its disposal can be used to push back and restore balance,” the official said, declining to detail how Iran might retaliate.
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The US military has periodically reinforced its presence in the Middle East during periods of heightened tension, moves US officials have often described as defensive. However, Washington carried out a major buildup last year ahead of June air strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
