Berlin, Sept 7. (dpa/GNA) – Iran will respond to US attacks with increased speed and severity, parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday, state news agency IRNA reported.
Ghalibaf said the “rules of the game” had changed and that any attack on Iran’s interests or security would be met with a faster, harsher and more painful response, IRNA reported. The United States should have understood that the era of proportional responses was over, Ghalibaf said. He added that recent attacks on US military bases were only the beginning.
Ghalibaf also pointed to Iran’s difficult economic situation. He said fluctuations in exchange rates, inflation and unemployment were placing severe pressure on people’s livelihoods. Ghalibaf described “internal unity” and “external deterrence” as important tools in the conflict with the US.
He warned that statements or actions weakening these two areas would be in conflict with the recommendations of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
Ghalibaf’s comments came after military escalation in the waters around Iran and a new tactic announced by the US military.
On Saturday, Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), said: “If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose even higher economic costs on you by taking out three of your ships.”
The US military was prepared to destroy Iran’s relatively small and unprotected oil fleet, Cooper said. The US attacked and disabled three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday after CENTCOM reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had fired ballistic missiles at two US warships without causing damage.
GNA