Iran warns of firm response if United States joins Israeli strikes

The latest news on Israel and Iran. Iran has warned that it will respond firmly if the United States takes direct military action in support of Israel's ongoing offensive, the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva said on Wednesday.

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Ali Bahreini called Trump's remarks "completely unwarranted and very hostile. We cannot ignore them. We are vigilant about what Trump is saying. We will put it in our calculations and assessments."

"I am confident that (Iran's military) will react strongly, proportionally and appropriately. We are closely following the level of involvement in the United States ... We will react whenever it is needed," he said.

The Iranian ambassador to the UN labelled US involvement as complicity and signalled that crossing a certain threshold would trigger retaliation. With tensions escalating and airstrikes exchanged between Israel and Iran, the region edges closer to wider confrontation.