Iran threatens to hit U.S., Israel after Trump aide warns of 'maximum pressure' [View all]

[DonViejo]

Source: Reuters



AUGUST 22, 2018 / 1:53 AM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO

Bozorgmehr Sharafedin, Dan Williams
6 MIN READ

LONDON/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Iran warned on Wednesday it would hit U.S. and Israeli targets if it were attacked by the United States after President Donald Trump’s security adviser said Washington would exert maximum pressure on Tehran going beyond economic sanctions.

A U.S.-Iranian war of words has escalated since Trump withdrew Washington from the world powers’ nuclear deal with Iran in May, blasting it as flawed and reimposing sanctions to choke Iran’s economy and force it to renegotiate or change direction.

The U.S. turnaround, which scrapped a wary detente between Iran and the United States after decades of hostility, has drawn defiance from Tehran despite renewed unrest over economic privations, and has unnerved other big powers where businesses have been debating whether to divest from Iran. U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton told Reuters the return of U.S. sanctions was having a strong effect on Iran’s economy and popular opinion.

“There should not be any doubt that the United States wants this resolved peacefully, but we are fully prepared for any contingency that Iran creates,” Bolton said during a visit to Israel, Iran’s enemy in the Middle East.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-nuclear-usa/iran-says-israel-u-s-will-be-targeted-if-washington-attacks-idUSKCN1L70GC