ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iran said on Wednesday that it has warned the United States against intervening after their overnight attacks on Israel, while dismissing claims there were “exchange” of messages between Tehran and Washington prior to unleashing the barrage of missiles.
“We have…warned the US forces to withdraw from this matter and not to intervene,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state television, adding they relayed the message through the Swiss embassy in Tehran.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) launched over 200 ballistic missiles on Tel Aviv and several other regions of Israel on Tuesday night, with Tehran saying ninety percent of the missiles hit their targets and the government of Israel saying must of them were intercepted.
Araghchi said prior to launching the attacks, there had been “no exchange” of messages with the US.
“Before the attack, there was no exchange of messages,” Araghchi said, adding they communicated with the US after they were done with the missile strikes.
The attack comes months after Iran vowed to retaliate for the killing of Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh in a strike in Tehran, which it blamed on Israel. The threats of an Iranian retaliation increased in recent days following the killing of Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah, in an Israeli strike in Beirut.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran's resort to the right of legitimate defense, after a prolonged period of restraint, reflects Iran's responsible approach to regional and international peace and security," read the statement from the Iranian foreign ministry.
Iran’s missile attacks on Israel, the second of its kind since April, drew widespread condemnation from the west.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday said Iran’s resort to direct military action against Israel risks “igniting” the Middle East.
For his part, French President Emmanuel Macron strongly condemned Iran, noting that Paris has mobilized its troops in the Middle East to counter Iranian threats.
Iran has already warned against any “third party entry."
Shortly after firing the missiles, the Iranian Foreign Ministry in a statement called on the UN Security Council to take "immediate and meaningful action" to prevent further threats to regional and international peace and security
The UN Security Council is set to hold an emergency meeting on the Iranian attack and recent escalations in the Middle East on Wednesday.
In the immediate aftermath of the missile attacks, Israeli officials warned Iran to expect “severe consequences.”
“Iran made a big mistake tonight, and it will pay the price for it,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling the Iranian attack a “failure”.
The US also threw their full support behind Tel Aviv, reiterating that there will be “severe consequences” for Tehran’s “significant escalation.”
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