Iran warns of ‘strong blow’ if Israel attacks

Tehran today warned its arch-enemy Israel of a “strong blow” if it takes forceful measures, after the US media reported that military exercises by the Jewish state were a possible practice for a strike against Iran. “If enemies especially Israelis and their supporters in the United States would want to use a language of force, they should rest assured that they will receive a strong blow in the mouth,” senior cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said in his Friday prayers sermon. Khatami, whose speech was broadcast live on state radio, stressed that the Iranian nation’s mentality was “to fight foreigners.”

“Given this mentality, if

you make a hostile look at the Islamic Iran, you will witness such a united roar by our nation that it will definitely make you regret any vicious move forever,” he added. A New York Times report cited US officials as saying that a major military exercise carried out by Israel earlier this month seemed to be a practice for any potential strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

A Pentagon official, briefed on the exercise, said a goal of the practice was to send the message that the Jewish state was prepared to act militarily if diplomatic efforts failed to halt Tehran’s production of bomb-grade uranium. Last month the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s atomic watchdog, expressed “serious concern” that Iran is still hiding information about alleged studies into making nuclear warheads and defying UN demands to suspend uranium enrichment.