Iran on Friday said the U.S., as a "backer" of Israel, "shall be held fully accountable" for the series of strikes Jerusalem levied overnight against Tehran, its nuclear and military facilities, and top officials – deepening retaliatory concerns over U.S. bases near Iran.
The U.N. Mission to Iran sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council condemning the attacks that killed four military commanders, one Iranian official allegedly involved in the nuclear talks with the U.S., and two nuclear scientists, and said that Israel’s "conduct" in the region "poses a serious threat to international security."
But earlier this week, just days ahead of a planned meeting between Washington and Tehran in Oman to discuss nuclear negotiations, Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh threatened to hit U.S. bases in the Middle East, should Israel once again directly strike the Persian nation.
"Some officials on the other side threaten conflict if negotiations don't come to fruition," Nasirzadeh said, according to Reuters following early reporting that Jerusalem was considering a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. "If a conflict is imposed on us … all U.S. bases are within our reach, and we will boldly target them in host countries."
The Trump administration announced a partial evacuation of the U.S. embassy in Iraq and authorized military dependents to leave locations across the Middle East, but it remains unclear how many Americans are expected to depart from the region.
