UAE sends first ambassador to Syria in 13 years

Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the United Nations Amir Saeed Iravani warned Washington that any military action against Tehran will receive a resolute response.

It is “the fundamental policy” of Iran to give “a strong response” to the enemies in case they target the country, its interests or nationals, Iravani told reporters on Tuesday.

His remarks came days after three American soldiers were killed and at least 40 others wounded in a drone strike on a US base near the Jordan-Syria border. President Joe Biden and US Central Command, which directs American military operations in the region, immediately blamed the attack on “radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq”, without providing any evidence.

Iran has dismissed Washington’s claim that Tehran was connected to the drone strike, describing it as a conspiracy by those who are seeking to drag the US into a new regional conflict. Tehran says the regional resistance groups do not take orders from Iran.

Since the beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza in early October, there have been around 165 attacks on US personnel and facilities in Iraq and Syria. Most of those have been claimed by regional resistance groups in support of Palestine. Washington has firmly supported the Zionist regime in its military onslaught against the besieged enclave which has so far killed 26,700 people, mainly children and civilians.

Iravani also dismissed the story of exchange of messages between Iran and the US via intermediaries over the past few days in the wake of the fatal air attack.

“Such messages have not been exchanged,” he added.