Iran's Speaker warns of ´regret-inducing´ response to any US threat

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf on Tuesday warned that the country's response to any U.S. threat or adventurism would be "regret-inducing and swift," according to the official news agency IRNA, reported Xinhua.

Speaking at an open session of parliament, Baqer said the era of intimidating the "civilized" Iranian nation had ended and that Iran would never be forced to back down from its rights and demands despite threats, rhetoric, or economic and aerial blockades.

He said that U.S. President Donald Trump's recent remarks at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and his "insult" to the Iranian nation demonstrated that Washington has not yet changed its hostile posture.

Qalibaf also warned against Trump's "rhetoric" about the U.S. control over the Strait of Hormuz, saying, "In a region where we do not sell oil, no one else will sell oil either; and if our security is not ensured, no infrastructure will be safe."

Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of the Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy committee, told IRNA that if the United States makes another miscalculation and takes any action against Iran's national interests and security, such as waging another war or continuing the naval blockade, it will receive "painful and crushing" blows.

On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the region, and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz. The United States has also imposed a naval blockade and intensified economic pressure against the country, including aviation sanctions.

In his speech at the UNGA in New York, Trump said, "I have a big decision to make" on Iran, asking whether a deal would be made with Iran that lets them "rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before," or whether he should "annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly."