Iran’s envoy to the United Nations has said that Tehran will respond “decisively” to any “military aggression” by the United States in a letter urging the UN Security Council to condemn recent threats from President Donald Trump.
Iran’s UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani called on Thursday for members of the council and UN chief Antonio Guterres to act, noting in particular Trump’s recent specific threat to use an airfield located in the Indian Ocean in the Chagos Islands, in a potential attack on Iran.
“Given the volatile situation in the region and the persistent movement and build-up of military equipment and assets by the United States, such a belligerent statement by the President of the United States must not be treated as mere rhetoric,” Iravani wrote.
The Iranian envoy emphasised that his country “neither seeks tension nor war and will not initiate any war”.
But, he said that if Iran were attacked, it would consider “all bases, facilities, and assets of the hostile force” in the region as “legitimate targets”.
Trump warned on Thursday that Tehran had 10 to 15 days to make a “meaningful deal” with Washington, as he hosted dozens of leaders from around the world for the first official meeting of his newly created Board of Peace in Washington.
“So now we may have to take it a step further, or we may not,” Trump said, again alluding to his threat of military action against Tehran.
“Maybe we’re going to make a deal. You’re going to be finding out over the next probably 10 days.”
Asked later to elaborate, Trump told reporters on board Air Force One: “I would think that would be enough time, 10, 15 days, pretty much, maximum.”
Speaking earlier in Washington, Trump renewed his argument that the joint Israeli-US strikes against Iran in June of last year paved the way to the “ceasefire” in Gaza.
Trump maintained that without the US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the “threat” of Iran would have prevented countries in the region from agreeing to “peace in the Middle East.
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