The Iranian mission issued a stern warning in a letter to the UN Security Council on Thursday and said the US has ramped up its military presence and activities in Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman in recent weeks.
“In addition to sending advanced and highly sophisticated weapons to the region over the past few weeks, the United States has also carried out some provocative military actions, including the deployment of a number of its long-range strategic bombers in the Persian Gulf in recent days,” the mission said in the letter.
“Such belligerent moves, if left unchecked, could escalate tensions to alarming levels, and it is clear that the United States will be fully responsible for the entire consequences,” it added.
The letter underlined Iran's determination to protect its people and to defend its security, sovereignty and territorial integrity and noted that the Islamic Republic’s resolve to respond decisively to any threat or use of force against the country should not be underestimated.
The mission’s letter to the Security Council echoed earlier remarks by Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif who said Iran does not seek war but will “openly and directly” defend its people and security as well as its vital interests.
On Wednesday, two nuclear-capable American B-52 bombers flew over the Persian Gulf after nonstop flights to the region from their US-based hangars. It was the third time in six weeks that American bombers were conducting long-range flights off the Iranian coast.
The latest deployments came after the US Navy announced the arrival of a nuclear-powered submarine in the Persian Gulf last week. The USS Georgia passed the Strait of Hormuz accompanied by two American warships, making it the first missile-loaded submarine of its kind to enter the Persian Gulf in eight years.
The region has witnessed escalating tensions since Trump accused Iran of playing a role in the attacks on the US embassy in Iraq late last month, threatening retaliation.
Moreover, the outgoing US president, as political analysts maintain, would barely choose not to welcome the eruption of a limited conflict with Iran as a final recourse to maintain its grip on power at a time that political and electoral procedure has denied him a second term in office after a crushing defeat to his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, in the November 3 election.
Most importantly, the US’s provocative moves in the Persian Gulf region come as Iranians and Iraqis are preparing to mark the first anniversary of the martyrdom of their popular commanders, Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who were assassinated in a US drone strike in Baghdad Airport on January 3, last year.
The strike, which was directly ordered by Trump, triggered a strong anti-American backlash across the region, leading to growing calls for the US military to end its presence in the Middle East.
Iran unleashed a barrage of missiles on a US military base in Iraq on January 8 as part of its revenge for the assassination. US positions in Iraq have since been targeted several times.
Recently, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said revenge for the Iranian general was certain and would be exacted at the right time.
Iran has also issued an arrest warrant and asked Interpol for help in detaining the US president, who ordered the assassination, and several other US military and political leaders behind the strike.
US responsible for consequences of warmongering moves: Zarif
Meanwhile, the Iranian foreign minister pointed to the “US's acts of mischief” in the region during a phone conversation with his Kuwaiti counterpart on Friday and stressed that Washington would be responsible for the consequences of any possible adventurism.
The head of Iran’s diplomatic apparatus also told Ahmad Nasser al-Mohammad Al Sabah that the Islamic Republic believes in comprehensive stability and security in the region away from any foreign interference.
The two top diplomats also exchanged views on bilateral relations and regional developments.