Tehran will respond harshly if US gets involved: Iran warns UN

Iran has directly warned Washington that it will respond harshly if the US gets directly involved in Israel's ongoing military campaign. Ali Bahreini, Iran's permanent representative to the UN, made the announcement while talking to reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.

Ali Bahreini said, "We consider the US to be sympathetic or directly involved in Israel's military activities. In that case, the same harsh response will be applied against the US as we are responding militarily to Israel."

He added, "Iran's armed forces are ready. They are capable of giving an appropriate, proportionate and strategic response. We are carefully monitoring the US involvement in this conflict and will respond appropriately whenever necessary."

Meanwhile, the Israeli media outlet Times of Israel reported that the United States has not yet taken any direct offensive action in the Israeli-Iranian tensions. However, it is helping to shoot down missiles fired at Israel in mid-air, which is being seen as indirectly participating in the conflict.

In addition, the United States has deployed additional warplanes to the Middle East in light of the ongoing tensions. According to Reuters, the US Department of Defense has already sent some new warplanes and military equipment to the region and is planning to deploy more.

Analysts believe that if a direct conflict breaks out between Iran and the United States, it could severely disrupt the stability of the entire Middle East.