Iran vows ‘decisive’ response to any threat

The Iranian defense minister has lashed out at his US counterpart for threatening military action against Iran amid diplomatic efforts to reach a deal on Tehran’s nuclear issue, saying the Islamic Republic will respond “decisively” to any threat.

Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said Thursday that the recent comments by US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter are aimed at undermining the ongoing negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 states on Tehran’s nuclear program.

Carter said Tuesday that using military force against Iran will be an option if Tehran and the six countries – Russia, China, France, Britain, the US and Germany – fail to sign an agreement on Iran’s nuclear file.

“This of course will have no effect on Iran’s documented, logical and fair positions on the nuclear issue,” Dehqan said, adding that the comments are aimed at creating media hype to influence the “logical climate” of the ongoing nuclear talks between Iran and the world powers.

“Such void remarks, always repeated by some US officials, are a sign of their frustration and have no value,” Dehqan added.

The Iranian defense minister said Tehran is determined to counter any hostile move from the aggressors, adding that the Islamic Republic would “decisively respond on the battlefield.”

The US defense secretary has clearly become forgetful of Washington’s past and recent defeats in the Middle East and the world, said Dehqan, adding that Carter “seems to be developing Alzheimer’s disease.”

Carter’s warmongering rhetoric comes as marathon negotiations are still underway in the Swiss city of Lausanne between representatives of Iran and the P5+1.

The two sides now face a July 1 deadline to conclude a final comprehensive deal over Iran’s nuclear program.