Iran’s army chief Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi said on Sunday in response to a threat of attack by U.S. President Donald Trump a day earlier that Washington lacks the courage to start a military conflict with Tehran.
“In a potential conflict in the future, which I don’t think they [Americans] have the courage to carry out, there it will become clear where the numbers five and two will belong,” Iran’s army chief said on state TV according to a Reuters report.
Trump threatened to hit 52 “important” Iranian targets if Iran retaliates for the U.S. airstrike on Friday that killed top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Iraq.
Meanwhile, Iran summoned the Swiss envoy that represents U.S. interests in Tehran on Sunday to protest Trump’s threat, according to Reuters, which also reported that European Union foreign-policy chief Josep Borrell urged de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East in talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in a statement.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Tehran announced that it would decide in an “important meeting” what its next step would be with regard to withdrawing from its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal.
“Tonight, there will be a very important meeting to decide about our next nuclear step and the implementation of the deal ... considering the recent threats [by America] it should be underlined that in politics, all developments and threats are linked to each other,” said spokesman Abbas Mousavi according to Reuters.
On Saturday, two Katyusha rockets hit Iraq’s Balad air base, 50 miles north of Baghdad, where U.S. forces are stationed. The attack caused no casualties, two security sources told Reuters.
