Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh warned on Wednesday that Iran would hit US bases in the region in response to a “conflict being imposed” on Tehran.
Nasirzadeh made the comments with the backdrop of uncertainty over the nuclear talks between the US and Iran and President Trump’s threats to bomb Iran if an agreement isn’t reached.
“Some officials on the other side threaten conflict if negotiations don’t come to fruition. If a conflict is imposed on us … all US bases are within our reach and we will boldly target them in host countries,” Nasirzadeh said, according to The Cradle.
Iran has advanced ballistic missiles, and an Iranian counterattack on US bases in the region could result in thousands of US casualties. Earlier this year, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said there are 50,000 American troops at 10 bases within reach of Iran’s missiles.
Gen. Michael Kurilla, the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), told Congress this week that he has presented President Trump with options for attacking Iran if talks fail. “I have provided the secretary of defense and the president a wide range of options,” he said.
Kurilla replied in the affirmative when Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) asked if CENTCOM was prepared to hit Iran with “overwhelming force” to prevent a “nuclear-armed Iran.” The US has been threatening to bomb Iran over its nuclear program, even though US intelligence agencies have recently reaffirmed that there is no evidence Tehran is building a nuclear weapon.
