- Official says Iran is on high alert after US military buildup in ME.
- Even a limited or “surgical” attack could trigger a full-scale war: Iran.
- He says Iran’s military is prepared for the worst-case scenario.
Iran will treat any attack “as an all-out war against us,” a senior Iranian official said Friday, ahead of the arrival of a strike group of U.S. military aircraft carriers and other assets to the Middle East in the coming days.
“This military buildup – we hope it is not intended for a real confrontation – but our military is ready for the worst-case scenario. That is why everything is on high alert in Iran,” the senior Iranian official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“This time we will treat any attack – limited, unlimited, surgical, kinetic, whatever you call it – as an all-out war against us, and we will respond in the harshest way possible to resolve this,” the official said.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States had an “army” heading towards Iran but hoped not to have to use it, as he renewed his warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear program.
“If the Americans violate Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, we will respond,” the Iranian official said. He declined to specify what an Iranian response would look like.
“A country under constant military threat from the United States has no choice but to ensure that everything at its disposal can be used to push back and, if possible, restore the balance against anyone who dares to attack Iran,” the official said.
In the past, the U.S. military has periodically sent larger forces to the Middle East at times of heightened tensions, moves that were often defensive. However, the US military carried out a major build-up last year ahead of its June strikes against Iran’s nuclear program.
