Iran Warns US, Israel of Surprise Response to Any Attack

Iran is at its highest level of military readiness, a senior Iranian security official told Press TV.

“Iran is currently at its highest level of military readiness, and if the United States or the Zionist regime attempts any act of aggression, they will be caught by surprise,” said the official, who did not wish to be named.

He dismissed recent US military repositioning in the region as a defensive move rather than a threat.

“What the Americans are doing is not a message of threat to Iran, but rather a reaction to Iran’s threats against their interests,” he said.

The comments follow the reports of the United States’ partial evacuation of personnel from West Asia.

On Wednesday, the US State Department ordered non-emergency staff to leave the embassy in Baghdad and allowed voluntary departure of military dependents from bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.

US President Donald Trump confirmed the move, stating, “They are being moved out because it could be a dangerous place. We’ve given notice to move out, and we’ll see what happens.”

US officials cited heightened tensions in the region and intelligence suggesting that Israel may be preparing a strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. They expressed concern that Iran could retaliate against American interests in the region.

The Iranian official said Tehran had obtained secret Israeli intelligence, giving it an advantage.

“The trove of secret Israeli documents has given Iran extensive intelligence superiority regarding the target bank of the United States and the Zionist regime,” he said.

On Sunday, Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib of Iran confirmed that the materials, which include documents on Israel’s clandestine nuclear program and records of its nuclear plans and facilities, had been transferred under heavy secrecy to Iran and would be published soon.

Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Nasirzadeh recently announced the successful test of a ballistic missile carrying a two-ton warhead.

“Iran is now capable of catching its enemies by surprise by launching deadly preemptive strikes before any hostile movement on their part,” the security official added.

The contradicting messages coming out of Washington indicated that they have no “practical initiative on the battlefield” and therefore have resorted to psychological warfare, he added.

In a statement on Monday, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) said the country will hit Israel’s secret nuclear facilities if the regime carries out any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic.

The SNSC called the intelligence operation part of a wider plan to counter enemy propaganda.

Any potential strike by Israel on Iran’s nuclear facilities would derail the ongoing talks between Iran and the US to find a replacement for the 2015 nuclear agreement, which President Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from during his first term in office.

Trump has repeatedly threatened to “bomb” Iran if Tehran does not reach a new deal on its nuclear program. However, Trump said recently that he had waved off another plan by Israel to attack Iran several months ago, saying he wanted to give diplomacy a chance.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on Monday that the next round of indirect negotiations with the United States was scheduled to be held in Oman’s capital of Muscat on Sunday.

Since April, Tehran and Washington have held five rounds of indirect negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.