In the wake of a drone strike against at least one defense factory in the central city of Isfahan, Iranian officials told Newsweek that any military option pursued by the United States against the Islamic Republic would result in all-out conflict with regionwide ramifications.
While the U.S. military has denied any role in the attack that took place late Saturday, local time, unnamed U.S. officials cited in major outlets such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times have placed the blame on Israel, a U.S. ally and Iran’s top foe, which has neither accepted nor denied involvement. No other entity has come forward with claims of responsibility.
But with President Joe Biden halting efforts to revive participation in the 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), administration officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken have asserted that “every option remains on the table” in ensuring that Tehran could not produce a nuclear weapon.
Iranian officials, who have consistently denied pursuing such a weapon of mass destruction, have warned that any military action the U.S. takes would spark a far larger escalation between the two powers. “In Iran’s perspective, the use of the military option at any level means U.S. entry into the war,” Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations told Newsweek. “For now,” the Mission noted, “Iran considers such a possibility to be weak.”
But the Mission also stated that “if the U.S. miscalculates and starts a war,” that the “consequences for the region and the world” of such conflict would be “up to” Washington. In the event of such a development, the Mission asserted that “there is no doubt that Iran possesses the capability to defend its security and interests.”
The Iranian Ministry of Defense described the incident as an “unsuccessful attack” carried out by three small drones against one of the ministry’s “workshop complexes.” One of the drones was said to have been downed by the facility’s air defenses, while two others were said to have exploded after being caught by other defensive measures. (SOURCE)
