Iran warns of regional war if conflict resumes

TEHRAN, Oct 19: An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader says Tehran will seek to escalate any renewed conflict to a regional war.

Mohammed Mokhber, who was interim president after EbrahimRaisi was killed in a helicopter crash, said Iran’s “deterrence” had prevented the US and Israel “from using all their capabilities”.

Mokhber said it was “a joke to say that Europe and NATO didn’t stand with America”.

“The bases in Britain are in America’s hands, and America has bases in most European countries. That’s where they got involved [and] fired missiles.”

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi delivered a briefing in Tehran alongside his counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.

Iran’s FM says the US is responsible for insecurity and tension in the Strait of Hormuz.

Araghchi has accused the US of making wrong calculations when starting its war on Iran.

“They thought Iran was weak. They have started the aggression but now and after eight months, they are in this spot.”

Iran’s FM Araghchi says the US “started to attack Iran without Iran doing anything wrong”.

“The international community will never forget that,” he said.

“What’s going on in Yemen and in Lebanon, and the genocide in Palestine” must stop, he added, along with Israel’s “dangerous expansion”.

“The lack of security in the Gulf and in the Strait of Hormuz… this is due to the Israeli-American aggression.”

Lavrov has emphasised the need to strengthen Lebanon’s security and sovereignty following a meeting with Iran’s FM Araghchi.

Lavrov said Iran and Russia both agree on achieving the same objectives for Lebanon, parts of which have been occupied by Israel since March this year.

Araghchi says “Europe must open their eyes carefully because Europe, like America, is making some mistakes in calculations”.

“They are suffering. Some of the consequences are because of their wrong policies.

“They are the reason behind so many wars.. Their wrong policies have extended the war in Ukraine. Through their unilateral support for the Zionist entity, a support that is not justified, this has led to the killing of over 80,000 Palestinians”.
�" AL JAZEERA