Iran plans to strike US bases in the Middle East if the Trump administration orders an attack on Tehran, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned Saturday.<\/b>
\nThe Islamic Republic warned the White House that it will strike US military bases in the Middle East if President Trump orders an attack on Iran.
\u201cIt would not be possible to attack American soil, but we will target their bases in the region,\u201d Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Qatari Al Jazeera television during an interview Saturday.
\u201cWe will not attack neighboring countries, rather we will target US bases stationed in them. There is a big difference between the two.\u201d
The latest threat from Iran comes after talks between the two countries ended Friday with Tehran refusing to budge on nuclear enrichment. Shortly after, the US flexed its military might by flying fighter jets in the Arabian Sea.
Trump signed an executive order late Friday threatening to slap additional 25% tariffs on countries that continue to do business with Tehran. The order reaffirmed the \u201congoing national emergency with respect to Iran\u201d and noted that the president may modify it if circumstances change, according to the White House.
The US also shot down an Iranian drone Tuesday after it \u201caggressively approached\u201d the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, according to the US military\u2019s Central Command.
US forces have amassed a \u201cmassive armada\u201d in the region in recent weeks that includes the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, with Trump threatening to strike if Tehran doesn\u2019t cut a deal to end its deadly crackdown on anti-regime protesters.
The US also wants the repressive regime to cut a deal to renounce uranium enrichment, stop ballistic missile development and halt support of its armed proxies in the region.
After the US struck Iran during Israel\u2019s 12-day war with Tehran June, the Islamic Republic responded with a telegraphed missile attack on a US military base in Qatar, despite the gulf country\u2019s good relations with both nations.<\/p>\n