Iran warns US bases in region are targets if attacked, unveils new ballistic missile

Iran’s defense minister warned Sunday that Tehran would retaliate against any US military action by targeting American bases in the Middle East.

“If we are attacked – if a war is imposed on us – we will respond forcefully. We will target their interests and their bases,” Aziz Nasirzadeh said in an interview with state TV aired late Sunday.

Nasirzadeh said that Iran harbors no hostility toward its neighbors, but warned that if Washington launches an attack, US bases located in those neighboring countries would be regarded as legitimate targets.

For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

Also on Sunday, Iran unveiled its latest ballistic missile, named “Qassem Basir,” according to the state-linked Tasnim news agency.

“The Qassem Basir missile is a solid-fuel ballistic missile with a range of 1,200 kilometers (746 miles),” the agency reported.

Iran and the US have engaged in nuclear talks since April 12. A fourth round of negotiations, originally scheduled for Saturday, was postponed due to “logistical reasons,” mediator Oman said earlier this week.

US President Donald Trump had written to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in March, urging negotiations while warning of possible military action if diplomacy failed.

Since returning to office in January, Trump has reinstated his “maximum pressure” policy on Iran, which during his first term saw him reimpose sweeping sanctions on Tehran after abandoning the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). That agreement had offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.

Western countries, including the US, have long accused Iran of seeking nuclear weapons – an allegation Tehran denies.

Read more:

Netanyahu vows response to Houthis’ ‘Iranian terror masters’ after airport attack

Iran says ‘has every right’ to enrich uranium, dismissing US concerns

Netanyahu’s campaign against Iran’s nuclear program is muted with Trump in power