Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has warned that his country is ready to respond "powerfully" to any act of aggression.
In a warning sent ahead of a potential US strike on Iran, Araghchi warned, "Our forces are ready, with a finger on the trigger, to respond immediately and powerfully to any aggression, whether by land, air, or sea."
He also claimed that Iran had expressed willingness to agree to a nuclear deal that is "effective, fair, and profitable, free from threats and intimidations, which ensures Iran's right to nuclear technology and ensures there will be no nuclear weapons."
"We never aspired to such weapons," he claimed.
On Wednesday, Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned that any US attack on his country will be met with a harsh response, including targeting Tel Aviv.
In a post on social media which appeared in Farsi, Hebrew and English, Shamkhani wrote, “A ‘limited strike’ is an illusion. Any military action by the US - from any origin and at any level - will be considered the start of war, and its response will be immediate, all out, and unprecedented, targeting heart of Tel Aviv and all those supporting the aggressor."