New Delhi: The US Friday washed its hands off Israel’s strikes against Iran, saying that it was not involved in the operation, while also firmly warning Tehran against any retaliation on American interests or personnel in the region.
“Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region. Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defence,” Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State and National Security Adviser, said in a statement on the social media platform X.
“President Trump and the administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target US interests or personnel.”
The American statement comes after Israel launched “pre-emptive strikes” against Iranian nuclear sites, its military leadership and nuclear scientists in Operation Rising Lion, in the early hours Friday. Israel struck at the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, a key site for Iran’s nuclear programme.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the operation will continue “for as many days as it takes to remove” the threat of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programme.
“We are at a decisive moment in Israel’s history. The IDF has targeted Iran’s leading nuclear scientists working on the Iranian bomb. Until we complete the mission of repelling the threat of annihilation that hovers over our heads, we will not stop,” said Netanyahu.
The US has been negotiating a deal with Iran over the last few weeks to prevent Tehran from building a nuclear bomb. Multiple rounds of talks between Washington DC and Tehran have been held, with the sixth round scheduled for 15 June in Muscat, Oman. It remains to be seen if this round of negotiations would take place, following Tel Aviv’s strikes.
Tehran has confirmed that the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Major General Hossein Salami, Commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbia Central Headquarters Major General Gholam Ali Rashid and two major nuclear scientists, Mohammad Mahdi Tehranchi and Fereydoon Abbasi, were killed in the Israeli strikes.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has vowed that the Israeli strikes will not go “unpunished” while conceding that several of the nation’s senior leadership were killed in the attack.
“In the enemy’s attacks, several commanders and scientists have been martyred. God willing, their successors and colleagues will carry on with their duties without delay. With this crime, the Zionist regime has prepared for itself a bitter, painful fate, which it will definitely see,” Khamenei said.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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USA accepts the logic of Israel that the preemptive strike on Iran is a preventive action. This when Iran has not attacked Israel directly or through proxies. But when India attacked Pakistan in response to the attack by terrorists sponsored by Pakistan, why did USA not support India. Because Pakistan allows USA to store its assets in Pakistan. It doesn’t care that Pakistan misuses its closeness with USA to sponsor terrorism in India. India should categorically tell USA to share with India which are the assets of USA.