DUBAI, United Arabs Emirates
Iran said on Wednesday its
military was ready to confront any attack by Israel, with the air force saying
it was prepared for action. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy missile
Iran’s navy commander said also that it was escorting Iranian commercial
vessels to the Red Sea.
Iran carried out its
first-ever direct attack on Israel last weekend in retaliation for a suspected
Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus on April 1.
Israel has said it will hit
back and its war cabinet was meeting on Wednesday to discuss options.
“Any attack by the Zionist
regime (Israel) on our soil will be dealt with a severe response,” Iranian
President Ebrahim Raisi said on Wednesday at a parade held for Army Day, state
media reported.
The commander of the Islamic
Republic of Iran Air Force warned at the same event that its warplanes,
including Russian-made Sukhoi-24s, were in their “best state of preparedness”
to counter any Israeli attack.
“We have full readiness in all
fields, including our air coverage and bombers, and are prepared for any
operation,” Brig. Gen. Amir Vahedi said.
A direct attack on
Revolutionary Guards bases or nuclear research facilities within Iran is one of
the options Israel has to strike back. Targets outside of Iran are also a
possibility.
Admiral Shahram Irani said the
Iran Navy was escorting Iranian commercial ships to the Red Sea, according to
the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
“The Navy is carrying out a
mission to escort Iranian commercial ships to the Red Sea and our Jamaran
frigate is present in the Gulf of Aden in this view,” Irani said.
Tehran was ready to escort
vessels of other countries, he added.
The Red Sea has seen
significant disruption to Israel-bound shipping due to attacks from Yemen’s
Iran-aligned Houthis.
On April 13, Iran’s
Revolutionary Guards seized the MSC Aries, a Portuguese-flagged container ship
in the Strait of Hormuz which Tehran says is linked to Israel.
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