JERUSALEM (AP) — On Wednesday, Iran issued a threat to firmly retaliate against any U.S. attack on the Islamic Republic, after President Joe Biden linked Tehran to the killing of three U.S. soldiers at a military base in Jordan. The U.S. has indicated that it is preparing for retaliatory strikes in the Middle East following the drone attack on Sunday that injured at least 40 troops at Tower 22, a secretive base in northeastern Jordan that has been crucial to the American presence in neighboring Syria. There are concerns that further American strikes could worsen an already tumultuous region, marked by Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on shipping in the Red Sea. A U.S. Navy destroyer in the waterway intercepted an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the Houthis late Tuesday, the latest attack targeting American forces patrolling the key maritime trade route, officials said. The Iranian warning was first given by Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations in New York. He briefed Iranian journalists late Tuesday, as reported by the state-run IRNA news agency. “The Islamic Republic would decisively respond to any attack on the county, its interests and nationals under any pretexts,” IRNA quoted Iravani as saying. He described any potential Iranian retaliation as a “strong response,” without providing details. The Iranian mission to the U.N. did not respond to requests for comment or elaboration on Iravani’s remarks on Wednesday. Iravani also denied that Iran and the U.S. had exchanged any messages over the last few days, either through intermediaries or directly. However, Iran’s government acknowledged the U.S. threats of retaliation for the attack on the base in Jordan. Revolutionary Guard commander Gen. Hossein Salami, who answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, stated at an event on Wednesday, “We are not after war, but we have no fear of war.” On Saturday, a general in charge of Iran’s air defenses described them as being at their “highest defensive readiness.” This raises concerns for commercial aviation traveling through and over Iran as well. Meanwhile, attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels continue in the Red Sea, with the most recent targeting being a U.S. warship. The missile launched Tuesday night targeted the USS Gravely, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, according to the U.S. military’s Central Command. “There were no injuries or damage reported,” the statement said. A Houthi military spokesman, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, claimed the attack in a statement Wednesday morning, calling it “a victory for the oppression of the Palestinian people and a response to the American-British aggression against our country.” Saree claimed the Houthis fired “several” missiles, something not acknowledged by the U.S. Navy. The Houthis have made exaggerated claims in the past, and their missiles sometimes fail to reach their targets. The Houthis have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for global trade between Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. The U.S. and the United Kingdom have launched multiple rounds of airstrikes targeting the Houthis as allied warships patrol the waterways affected by the attacks. The European Union also plans to launch a naval mission in the Red Sea within three weeks to help defend cargo ships against the Houthi attacks, the bloc’s top diplomat said on Wednesday.___Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.
