Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday gave one of the clearest outlines of his country’s regional war strategy in a response to his Jordanian counterpart, insisting that Arab countries that host U.S. assets are fair game.
In a social media post, Mr. Araghchi said Iran had every right to attack Jordan, along with several other Middle East nations, immediately following the start of the U.S.-Israeli war.
“How much time does the Jordanian Foreign Minister believe Iran should wait before responding to an aggressor that respects neither Arab sovereignty nor Iranian sovereignty?” he wrote. “And is he truly unaware that Arab airspace, lands, and waters were used in the initial American attacks that resulted in the killing of innocent Iranians?”
Mr. Araghchi was responding to comments made by Ayman Safadi this week, in which he said that Iran launched attacks on Jordan and other nations just hours after war with the U.S. and Israel began, implying that the strikes were an unprovoked response.
Even before the war began in February, Iran had consistently said U.S. assets in the Middle East would be legitimate targets in a potential conflict.
In early February, Mr. Araghchi declared that any country in the Middle East hosting U.S. bases or assets could come under fire, adding that any strikes should not be considered attacks on the countries themselves but only limited intervention against American forces.
SEE ALSO: Vance pours cold water on diplomacy with Iran as battle over Hormuz continues
After last year’s 12-day war, Iran launched a semi-telegraphed attack on the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar in retaliation for U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.
According to top Iranian military and political officials, the purpose of the attacks on Middle Eastern nations hosting U.S. assets is to convince Arab nations that the American military presence in the region does not make them safe.
“The clock cannot be turned back, and the nations and lands of the region will no longer be a shield for American bases,” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said in May, adding that the U.S. “no longer has any safe haven in the region for aggression and the establishment of military bases.”
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.