Iran warns neighbours...
TEHRAN, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Iran will target any country used as a launchpad for attacks against its soil, the deputy Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami, said on Sunday according to Iran's Fars news agency., expanding Tehran's range of threats in an increasingly volatile stand-off with world powers over its nuclear ambitions. Meanwhile, two Iranian naval ships docked in the Saudi port of Jeddah on Sunday, a move Iranian officials say aims to project the country's "power on the open seas" and “confront Iranophobia.”
Salami’s statement comes as the Revolutionary Guard conducts two-day ground exercises some say are dedicated to demonstrate Iranian military strength.
The Revolutionary Guard is a branch of Iran’s military established to protect the country's Islamic system. It is not Tehran's first warning amid rising tensions with the West.
Earlier, Iran warned that any military action against it would result in a "painful” response on Israeli and US bases in the Gulf.
Last week, Iran's supreme clerical leader threatened reprisals for the West's new ban on Iranian oil exports and the U.S. defence secretary was quoted as saying Israel was likely to bomb Iran within months to stop it assembling nuclear weapons.
Although broadened and sharpened financial sanctions have begun to inflict serious economic pain in Iran, its oil minister asserted on Saturday it would make no nuclear retreat even if its crude oil exports ground to a halt.
Iran says its nuclear programme is for civilian energy purposes.