Iran will respond 'strongly' to aggression: ambassador

GENEVA: Iran will respond “strongly” to any aggression from either Israel or Washington, Tehran’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva said Wednesday.

“We will respond strongly, and we will stop aggression from any side, be it Israel or the United States,” Ali Bahreini told a press conference.

“And we have given a message to the United States that we will respond very firmly and will stop the aggression by anybody — including the United States,” he said.

After decades of enmity and a prolonged shadow war, Israel says its surprise air campaign that began on June 13 is aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons — an ambition Tehran denies.

Iran said early Wednesday that it fired hypersonic missiles at Israel in the latest round of overnight strikes between the arch foes.

US President Donald Trump has said that Washington has played no part in the bombing campaign by its ally Israel, but has also warned Iran that his patience is wearing thin.

Bahreini told the UN correspondents’ association that Tehran was “resolute in responding to Israeli attacks”.

“We will respond very, very, very seriously and strongly, and that is what we are doing now. Nobody should expect Iran to show any kind of restraint,” he said.

He also criticised the attitude of Western and European nations.

“When you look at the positions of different countries, Western countries, European countries, not only they are not condemning the attacks and aggression, they are trying to justify the aggression,” he said.