US warns Iran to avoid striking Israel since it 'won't be able to restrain' Tel Aviv if provoked: Report

Amid the brewing tensions in West Asia, reports are emerging that the United States has warned Iran that it “won’t be able to restrain” Israel if Tehran attacks the Jewish nation. The warning came as Iran prepares plans to retaliate to the Israeli strikes in the country.

The Israeli forces described the strikes which took place last month as a retaliatory attack on Iran’s missile attack on October 1. In the past, the White House has urged Israel not to target Iran’s nuclear and oil facilities. However, Washington warned that these areas could be attacked if Israel is “provoked” once again.

According to Axios, a senior US official revealed that Washington has informed Tehran it would not be able to prevent Israel from reacting or ensure that any response would remain as limited and precise as before. Interestingly, this communication marked a rare diplomatic exchange between Iran and the United States.

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White House reiterated its stance on the matter

The official noted that the message was transmitted via the Swiss diplomatic channel, a longstanding conduit for US-Iran communications. White House declined to comment on the matter and neither Iran’s mission to the United Nations said anything on the issue.

However, on Friday, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre reiterated that Iran should avoid any response, underlining continued US support for Israel in case of Iranian aggression. Meanwhile, Pentagon spokesperson Gen. Pat Ryder announced additional military measures, including deploying destroyers for missile defence, a fighter squadron, refuelling aircraft, and long-range B-52 bombers to the region.

While sharing the information about the deployment at a press conference, Ryder emphasised that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has made clear the US would act decisively to protect its forces and interests should Iran or its proxies strike. Amid the chaos, recent Israeli intelligence assessments have indicated that Tehran is preparing to launch an attack on Israel from Iraqi territory, potentially within days and possibly before the US presidential election.

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Both Israel and the US believe that if Iran uses militias in Iraq, it aims to avoid a confrontation that could provoke another Israeli strike on its territory. The officials from both countries maintained that the Israeli response would be based on the scale and the impact of the Iranian attack.

Iran warns of ’tooth-breaking’ retaliation

On Saturday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to retaliate against the Israeli attack, calling it an “aggressive action by the zionist nation”.

“The enemies, both the USA and the Zionist regime should know that they will definitely receive a tooth-breaking response to what they are doing against Iran, the Iranian nation, and the resistance front," the Iranian supreme leader said while he was speaking to students in Tehran.

Khamenei’s remarks referred to Iran’s alliance with several Tehran-supported groups across the region, including Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement and the Palestinian group Hamas.

With inputs from agencies.