Tehran, Iran —
Although most analysts in Iran concurred that a full-scale conflict was not imminent, they did warn on Tuesday of a potential military reaction from the United States after Washington promised a “very consequential” response to troop losses.
Three US soldiers were killed in a drone attack on a secluded outpost in the Jordanian desert on Sunday, which was near Syria and Iraq. President of the United States Joe Biden linked the attack to extremist groups based in Syria and Iraq that receive funding from extreme Iran.
Tensions between the longtime foes have increased at the beginning of an election year in the United States following the first American military casualties in an attack since the Israel-Hamas conflict began on October 7.
Iranians are uncertain about what will happen next after Biden’s warning because Washington and Tehran, longtime adversaries, have both made a point of emphasizing that they do not desire conflict.
According to political analyst Ahmad Zeidabadi, there is no ignoring the likelihood that Biden may order direct attacks on Iranian targets, as reported in the Ham-Mihan newspaper.
However, he stated that the bases of Iranian forces abroad would probably be the focus of any American strikes.
Iran’s rial fell to an all-time low of between 580,000 to 600,000 to the US dollar on the black market on Tuesday, indicating heightened tensions.
It’s also likely that the Biden administration, under political pressure from the Republicans, will target specific, strategic targets within Iran, according to the reformist Etemaad Daily newspaper.
It stated that this situation might mean the end of Tehran and Washington’s diplomatic attempts.
A few of Biden’s Republican opponents have called for an outright strike on Iran, but the president declared on Tuesday that he was not interested in a larger Middle East conflict.
Iranian officials quickly refuted any connection to the incident in Jordan and reiterated Tehran’s opposition to any “expansion” of the violence in the region.
Cautionary tale about “vengeance”
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran’s foreign minister, stated on Tuesday that diplomacy is actively working toward a “political” solution to the problem.
Friendly nations like China and Russia encouraged de-escalation and moderation, while Beijing issued a warning against a cycle of revenge in the Middle East.
A direct war was deemed “unlikely” by Shargh, another reformist publication, which also noted that Tehran and Washington had previously demonstrated their capacity to manage direct confrontations.
In an editorial using stronger language, The Iran Daily cautioned that Biden should not be tricked into attacking Iran militarily in order to get revenge for an attack that was started by a third party.
Any crazy action will undoubtedly provoke a corresponding reaction from Iran, which may result in a full-scale conflict, the statement stated.
Ever since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the United States and Iran have been fierce adversaries.
As a result of worries over Iran’s nuclear program, the United States and its allies Israel have waged a covert war of assassinations and sabotage against Iran, which has resulted in harsh international sanctions.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is allegedly supporting terrorist groups sponsored by Iran in their proxy battles in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and other places, according to accusations made by the US and Israel.
Honorable Guards commander Qasem Soleimani was ordered to be killed in Baghdad in 2020 by former US President Donald Trump.
Since the bloodiest-ever Gaza conflict broke out on October 7, when Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel, there has been an increase in violence throughout the region.
Iran has expressed support for Hamas and its allies, the Houthis of Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon, but it has stressed that the armed groups are operating on their own.
Additionally, it has charged that the US is complicit in Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza.
The ambassador of Britain was called in
The deaths in Jordan come after a wave of assaults on American forces in neighboring Syria and Iraq, many of which were attributed to the Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq.
Tehran called the British ambassador to denounce an unidentified “accusation” made against the Islamic republic on Tuesday, following London’s claim that organizations allied with Iran were responsible for the attack in Jordan.
The United States and Britain have also placed restrictions on a network that they claim targets Iranian dissidents.
Washington has accused Iran on multiple occasions of “actively facilitating” attacks on U.S. forces in other regions of the Middle East and of taking part in Red Sea attacks carried out by the Houthi rebels.
In a letter released by the official IRNA news agency, Iran’s ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, reaffirmed Tehran’s stance.
In Iraq, Syria, or any other place, he stated, “no group affiliated with Iran’s armed forces operates directly or indirectly under the control of the Islamic Republic of Iran or acts on its behalf.”
Washington “has no choice but to increase pressure” on Israel to halt the Gaza war, according to the Etemaad daily.
The conservative Javan tabloid issued a dire warning, stating that U.S. backing for Israel in a regional battle would be the epitome of throwing caution to the wind.
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