Iran warns any US attack would be considered an 'act of aggression'
Tehran says even a limited strike would trigger a fierce response, following Trump's comments on possible military action.
Iran said on Monday that any US attack, including limited strikes, would be an "act of aggression" that would precipitate a response, after President Donald Trump said he was considering a limited strike on Iran.
"And with respect to your first question concerning the limited strike, I think there is no limited strike," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said at a briefing in Tehran.
"An act of aggression would be regarded as an act of aggression. Period. And any state would react to an act of aggression as part of its inherent right of self-defence ferociously so that's what we would do."
US threats of military action have multiplied in the wake of a massive American military build-up in the Middle East.
"If the US attacks us, then we have every right to defend ourselves," Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CBS News on Sunday, alluding to American interests in the region as potential targets.
Still, he said, "There is a good chance of having a diplomatic solution.”
In a social media post, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian likewise said previous talks "yielded encouraging signals".
After a recent round of discussions in Geneva, Iran said it was preparing a draft proposal for an agreement that would avert military action.
"I believe that when we meet, probably this Thursday in Geneva again, we can work on those elements and prepare a good text and come to a fast deal," Araghchi told CBS.
The US has sent two aircraft carriers to the Middle East in recent weeks, along with other jets and ships, and has also shored up its air defences in the region to back up its threats of military offensive.