Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that the U.S. would bear direct responsibility for any escalation in West Asia after Iran and Israel resumed strikes for the first time since the April ceasefire.
“The responsibility of the United States, as a party to the April 8 ceasefire deal, is undeniable,” he said at a weekly press conference, hours after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted northern and central Israel with a barrage of ballistic missiles on Sunday night.
“Whatever happens in our region - whether the U.S. itself violates the ceasefire through attacks on Iranian commercial ships and assaults on the country’s southern regions, or whether such actions are carried out by the Zionist regime in Lebanon, or through collusion with the U.S. in our own region - the direct responsibility of the United States is clear.”
“The consequences of any escalation will also rest with the United States,” the state-owned IRNA news agency quoted Baghaei as saying.
The Foreign Ministry also warned in a statement that any military operation by Israel against Lebanon or Iran in retaliation for Tehran’s strikes would meet a “crushing and wide-ranging” response.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran warns that any evil adventure by the Zionist regime against Lebanon or Iran will be met with a crushing and wide-ranging response from the brave Iranian Armed Forces.”
“The missile attacks were carried out in compliance with Iran’s inherent right to self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter,” it said, adding that Israel’s recent attacks on Lebanon were a breach of the 8 April ceasefire between Iran and the U.S.
The IRGC announced late on Sunday that its Aerospace Force had targeted an Israeli airbase with ballistic missiles in retaliation for attacks on Lebanon.
According to an IRGC statement, missiles were fired at Israel’s Ramat David Airbase in response to the widespread military operation in southern Lebanon and the suburbs of Beirut.
The IRGC said Sunday night’s missile raid was a “warning” and that “if Israel continued its aggression in Lebanon, all Israeli and U.S. targets will be included in the force’s list of attacks”.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held telephone calls with his counterparts in the UK, Türkiye, France, Qatar, Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, as well as with Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, whose country is mediating an extended ceasefire between Tehran and Washington.
The contacts took place on Sunday and early Monday following Iran’s missile attacks, which coincided with the 100th day of the Israel-U.S. war with Iran, which began on 28 February.
According to Foreign Ministry statements, Araghchi told his counterparts that Tehran had warned Israel to halt its military operation in Lebanon.
Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari said late on Sunday that Iran had warned it would target Israel if attacks on Lebanon continued.
"Despite Iran’s warnings, the child-killing Zionist regime has targeted the suburbs of Beirut by crossing all red lines and increasing attacks in southern Lebanon,” he said in a recorded video statement.
“We had previously warned that if the crime in the suburbs of Beirut spreads, we will attack targets in the occupied territories.”
Araghchi also met Pakistan’s Interior Minister, Muhsin Raza Naqvi, on Sunday, during which the visiting official delivered a special letter from Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei.
Meanwhile, Supreme Leader adviser Ali Akbar Velayati said in a post on X that Iran’s missile attack was the first in a chain of responses, warning that the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could be closed in a manner similar to the Strait of Hormuz.
“The prediction came true a few days ago; a missile response of the Dhat al-Salasil (Battle of Chains in early Islam to suppress tribal rebellions) type. The (Israeli) regime's stupidity in Beirut today and its blatant violation of the ceasefire activated the first link in our chain of response.”
Iran’s former foreign minister added: “Today's security at Bab al-Mandeb should not be miscalculated by the enemy. The circles of resistance have the power to block both waterways; the choice is yours: stop the foolishness or enter into a balance of regulation at the two straits.”
Sunday night’s ballistic missile attacks were also carried out ahead of the first anniversary of the 12-day war, which falls on Saturday.
On 13 June last year, Israel attacked Iran and was later joined by the U.S., which bombed three major Iranian civilian nuclear sites under UN safeguards.
In the latest development, the IRGC Aerospace Force said on Monday that it had launched a missile operation in tribute to those killed in the 12-day war by targeting the strategic airbases of Nevatim and Tel Nof.
The force said the strike was carried out in response to Israel’s attacks on radar sites in three parts of Iran, according to the Sepah News website.
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