Iran threatens 'painful' strikes across Middle East if US attacks

Tehran [Iran], September 22: Iran's military on Sunday warned the United States against launching new attacks on the country, threatening sustained strikes against its bases and interests across the Middle East in response.
"If you make a mistake, you will be the target of painful attacks," the Khatam al-Anbiya military headquarters said, according to the Fars news agency. "All of that country's deployment centres and interests in the region will be targeted with continuous, effective, and painful attacks, without any restrictions or considerations."
The headquarters - Iran's operational military command of its entire armed forces during wartime - also warned countries in the region against supporting any US attack. Any country that did so would be regarded as "complicit" and could expect no leniency, it said.
The warning also cited unconfirmed reports of a meeting between US representatives in a European country at which agreements were allegedly reached on renewed attacks against Iran.
US embassies across the Middle East early Sunday morning local time issued security alerts for American citizens in the region."Due to tensions in the Middle East, the security environment remains complex with the potential for unforeseen escalation," the State Department said in its alerts.
The alerts did not state a specific threat, but called for Americans to "exercise heightened vigilance and be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closures, and travel disruptions." They cited the recent fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen, noting that the "military conflict" between the two sides "has the potential to escalate rapidly."
Meanwhile, Iran has conveyed to Washington through mediators its conditions for reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which it has blockaded throughout the Middle East war, Tehran's top negotiator said Sunday. The two foes are locked in a stalemate months into the conflict, particularly over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for the world's oil and gas.
"Our messages and the explanation of our conditions have been clearly conveyed to the other party through mediators," said Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has acted as chief negotiator in talks to end the war. "As long as the conditions are not met... and the U.S. commitments are not honoured, it will be impossible to return to the situation from before the negotiations and to an open strait," he added.
Source: Qatar Tribune