Iran declared it will treat all U.S. and Israeli assets in the Middle East as legitimate targets. It forecast full retaliation right after the surprise airstrikes by the United States and Israel, saying there is "no red line."
On the 28th (local time), according to the Qatari outlet Al Jazeera, a senior Iranian official speaking on condition of anonymity said, "Tell Israel to prepare for what is coming," adding, "Our response will be public, and there is no red line."
The official warned, "All possibilities are on the table, including scenarios we had not considered before," and, "The United States and Israel have launched aggression and a war that will have broad and long-lasting repercussions. A multifaceted response without a time limit is in place."
As for calls on Iran to show restraint or to yield, the official dismissed them as "nothing but unacceptable, wishful-thinking empty talk."
The warning came after the United States and Israel carried out surprise airstrikes at dawn on Tehran and other parts of Iran's capital region. The attack took place a day after the third round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran in Geneva, Switzerland, ended without notable progress.
U.S. President Donald Trump said in a social media video that "U.S. forces launched a large-scale combat operation today," and urged the Iranian people to "take back your government when the operation is over."
Israel says the strikes were a preventive, preemptive attack to remove Iran's threat. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu argued that the existential threat posed by the Iranian regime must be eliminated.