Iran vows to respond to any US strike on “Jabal Ax”

On Tuesday, Iran vowed to respond to any American strike on the fortified Jabal Ax nuclear facility, after US President Donald Trump threatened to target it, and the Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Ali Abdullah, warned that any new war on Iran “will affect everyone.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said in a weekly press conference that “the time of hit and run is over,” warning that Tehran “will not leave any strike unanswered,” and will respond to any attack “with at least the same severity.”

He added, in response to reports about the possibility of the United States targeting the facility, and Washington’s expectation that Iran would not respond: “We have demonstrated practically during these two years that we do not leave any strike unanswered.”

Despite the cessation of US strikes on Iran since the beginning of September, Baghaei acknowledged that the possibility of renewed war still exists, saying: “We live with this possibility day and night, and we cannot rule it out, even at the moment we are talking now.”

Trump said, in an interview with Newsmax last Thursday, that the United States may have to target the “Peakax Mountain” site, which is a fortified facility buried deep underground near the Natanz nuclear site, adding: “We want to make sure that they will never have a nuclear weapon, because if they get it, they will use it.”

He said: “Their nuclear facilities are buried under mountains weighing millions of tons. We are currently looking into Pickaxe Mountain. We may have to... We'll try to target this site. "We will destroy it quickly."

Trump ruled out using a nuclear weapon or landing ground forces, saying: “I will not use a nuclear weapon.” We don't have to do that.” He did not specify whether he authorized the use of the GBU-43/B bomb, known as the “Mother of All Bombs,” against Iranian energy facilities and nuclear sites, indicating that it is not a nuclear bomb.

Baghaei said that the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Tehran on Monday was scheduled for a long time, noting that his consultations dealt with regional issues, the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the nuclear file.

But he denied speculation that Lavrov's discussions covered the details of a possible nuclear agreement with the United States, and said that Iran "did not enter into" nuclear negotiations with Washington, adding that the meeting between the two ministers did not address the issue of enrichment inside Iran.

He said that Tehran, despite its lack of confidence in the United States, will continue the diplomatic path if it finds an opportunity to prevent the escalation of tension, considering that American “excessive demands” are the main obstacle to the progress of negotiations.

Baghaei also said that he did not know the reason for the visit of Pakistani Army Commander Field Marshal Asim Munir, who arrived in Tehran on Tuesday, adding: “We have to talk to him to see what topics we will address.”