- Tehran says US bases and aircraft carriers are within its missile range.
- He says US bases can become “legitimate targets” if the US attacks.
- The military spokesman warns that Iran’s response to the US action will not be limited.
PARIS: Iran threatened on Thursday to instantly attack US bases and aircraft carriers in response to any attack, after US President Donald Trump warned that time was running out for Tehran and the EU blacklisted its Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group.
As Brussels and Washington stepped up their own rhetoric and Iran issued harsh threats, UN chief Antonio Guterres called for nuclear negotiations to “avoid a crisis that could have devastating consequences in the region.”
An Iranian military spokesman warned that Tehran’s response to any US action would not be limited – as it was in June last year when US jets and missiles briefly joined Israel’s brief air war against Iran – but would be a decisive response “delivered instantly.”
Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia told state television that US aircraft carriers have “serious vulnerabilities” and that numerous US bases in the Gulf region are “within range of our medium-range missiles.”
“If the Americans make such a miscalculation, it certainly will not play out as Trump imagines: carrying out a quick operation and then, two hours later, tweeting that the operation is over,” he said.
An official in the Gulf, where states host US military installations, told AFP that fears of a US attack on Iran are “very clear”.
“It would throw the region into chaos, damage the economy not only in the region but also in the United States and cause oil and gas prices to skyrocket,” the official added.
Protests in Iran
Qatari leader Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held a call to discuss the “efforts being made to reduce tensions and establish stability,” the Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported.
Meanwhile, the European Union increased pressure by designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist organization” for a lethal crackdown on recent mass protests.
“‘Terrorist’ is, in fact, what you call a regime that bloodily crushes the protests of its own people,” EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said, welcoming the “delayed” decision.
Although largely symbolic, the EU’s decision has already prompted a warning from Tehran.
Iran’s military criticized “the illogical, irresponsible and spite-driven action of the European Union,” alleging that the bloc was acting out of “obedience” to Tehran’s archenemies: the United States and Israel.
Iranian officials have blamed the two countries for the recent wave of protests, saying their agents caused “riots” and a “terrorist operation” that hijacked peaceful demonstrations sparked by economic grievances.
Trump had threatened military action if protesters were killed in anti-government demonstrations that broke out in late December and peaked on Jan. 8-9.
But his recent statements have focused on Iran’s nuclear program, which the West believes is aimed at making an atomic bomb.
On Wednesday he said “time is running out” for Tehran to reach a deal, warning that a U.S. naval strike group that arrived in Middle Eastern waters on Monday was “ready, willing and able” to attack Iran.
Contradictory tolls
Iranian authorities acknowledge that thousands of people died during the protests, bringing the death toll to more than 3,000, but say most were members of the security forces or bystanders killed by “rioters.”
In the capital, Tehran, billboards and banners have been put up to reinforce the authorities’ messages. A huge billboard appears to show the destruction of a US aircraft carrier.
