Iran warns US bases, assets will be ‘legitimate targets’ if it attacks
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
US President Donald Trump said that Iran had at most 15 days to make a deal over its nuclear programme.
PHOTO: EPA
WASHINGTON – Iran on Feb 19 warned that US bases, facilities and assets would be “legitimate targets” if the United States follows through on its military threats and attacks.
Mr Amir Saeid Iravani, the Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations, made the remarks in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the president of the Security Council that was seen by AFP.
President Donald Trump has deployed warships, fighter jets and other military hardware to the Middle East as he seeks to block Iran from building a nuclear bomb, something Tehran says it is not pursuing.
The letter cited a social media post by Mr Trump on Feb 18, where he said the US may need to use UK military bases, including one on an Indian Ocean island, “should Iran decide not to make a deal”.
“Such a belligerent statement by the President of the United States... signals a real risk of military aggression, the consequences of which would be catastrophic for the region and would constitute a grave threat to international peace and security,” Mr Iravani wrote in the letter.
He called for the Security Council – the UN’s top decision-making body where Washington has veto power – to “ensure that the United States immediately ceases its unlawful threats of the use of force”.
The letter said Iran remains committed “to diplomatic solutions” and “on a reciprocal basis, addressing ambiguities regarding its peaceful nuclear programme”.
But Mr Iravani warned that if Iran faced military aggression, “all bases, facilities, and assets of the hostile force in the region would constitute legitimate targets in the context of Iran’s defensive response”.
Mr Trump has repeatedly threatened military action against Iran, citing a deadly crackdown on anti-government protesters in January, and more recently over its nuclear programme.
On Feb 19, he said that Iran had at most 15 days to make a deal and again suggested that the US would attack if it failed to do so.
His comments followed talks on Feb 17 in Geneva between US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner – the President’s son-in-law – who met indirectly with Iran’s top diplomat, who said that there was progress.
A previous attempt at negotiations collapsed when Israel launched surprise strikes on Iran in June 2025, beginning a 12-day war that Washington briefly joined to bomb Iranian nuclear sites. AFP
