Iran says it will respond firmly to any US threat

DUBAI: Iran said on Saturday it would respond firmly to any US threat against it, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, amid escalating tension between Tehran and Washington over the shooting down of an unmanned US drone by the Islamic Republic.

On Thursday, an Iranian missile destroyed a US Global Hawk surveillance drone. Tehran said the drone was shot down over its territory and Washington said it had occurred in international airspace.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he aborted a military strike to retaliate for Iran’s downing of the US drone because it could have killed 150 people, and signalled he was open to talks with Tehran.

Iran has vowed to defend its borders.

“Regardless of any decision they (US officials) make… we will not allow any of Iran’s borders to be violated. Iran will firmly confront any aggression or threat by America,” foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi told Tasnim.

Worries about a confrontation between Iran and the United States have mounted despite Trump saying that he has no appetite to go to war with Iran. Tehran has also said it is not seeking a war but has warned of a “crushing” response if attacked.

A senior Arab diplomat said the sharply increased tensions would further harm the crisis-hit Middle East region.

“De-escalation is very important because tempers are flaring … It’s very important we avoid confrontation right now,” the senior diplomat told Reuters on condition of anonymity. “Confrontation, whatever we think about Trump or Iran, will be disastrous for everyone.”

“POWDER KEG”

“Any mistake by Iran’s enemies, in particular America and its regional allies, would be like firing at a powder keg that will burn America, its interests and its allies to the ground,” the senior spokesman of Iran’s Armed Forces, Abolfazl Shekarchi, told Tasnim on Saturday.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday issued an emergency order prohibiting U.S. operators from flying in an oversea area of Tehran-controlled airspace over the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman. Some other international airlines are taking related precautions.

But Iran said on Saturday its airspace was “safe and secure” for all planes to cross, Tasnim reported.