Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has warned that any attack on his country would spark a regional conflict, as the US continues to build up its forces nearby.
“The Americans should know that if they start a war, this time it will be a regional war,” Khamenei was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Donald Trump earlier said Iran was in “serious discussions” and he hoped they would lead to something “acceptable”, while Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CNN he was “confident that we can achieve a deal” on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Trump has threatened to intervene in Iran over its nuclear ambitions and after its deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.
Araghchi said: “Unfortunately, we have lost our trust (in) the US as a negotiating partner,” but added the exchange of messages through friendly countries in the region was facilitating “fruitful” talks with Washington.
Iran’s top security official, Ali Larijani, had previously said a framework for negotiations was progressing.
As part of its buildup of forces, the US has sent its aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, to the region, and late last week, the US Central Command said it was operating in the Arabian Sea.
“(Trump) regularly says that he brought ships… The Iranian nation shall not be scared by these things,” added Khamenei.
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Iran had been expected to begin a two-day live-fire naval exercise on Sunday in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important shipping lanes and a key route for energy supplies.
However, on Sunday, Reuters quoted an Iranian official as saying the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) navy had no plans for such an exercise.
Around a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes through the waterway, which is about 33km (21 miles) wide at its narrowest point between Iran and Oman.
Iran has in the past threatened to close the Strait if it were attacked.
The US has warned Iran against any “unsafe and unprofessional behaviour” near its forces in the area.
Araghchi responded by saying: “The US military is now attempting to dictate how our Powerful Armed Forces should conduct target practice in their own turf.”
