Iran could strike U.S. bases in the Middle East in response to any Israeli strike on its nuclear facilities, the leader of Lebanon's Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah said on Monday.
'A decision has been taken to respond and the response will be very great,' Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in an interview with the Beirut-based Al Mayadeen television.
'The response will not be just inside the Israeli entity - American bases in the whole region could be Iranian targets,' he said, citing information he said was from Iranian officials. 'If Israel targets Iran, America bears responsibility.'
Warning: Iran could strike U.S. bases in the Middle East in response to any Israeli strike on its nuclear facilities, Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah warned today (file photo from Aug 17)
But Nasrallah said there were divisions in Israel over attacking Iran's nuclear facilities, which the West says could be part of a nuclear weapons program - a charge which Tehran denies.
'Personally I do not expect the Israeli enemy - at least in the coming months or foreseeable future - (to wage) an attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran,' he said.
Iran has previously claimed to have the capability to carry out these threats against U.S. bases.
On July 4, Iran declared that it could destroy nearby U.S. military bases and strike Israel with minutes of an attack on their country.
General Ami Ali Hajizadeh of Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in July that U.S. bases are in range of Iran's missiles and could be targeted in retaliatory strikes.
He also said that the Guards had successfully tested anti-ship missiles that could sink U.S. warships in the Gulf. The missile has a range of 300 kilometres, he said.
The US Navy's 5th Fleet is based in Bahrain, an island in the Gulf about 200 kilometres from Iran, well within range of Iranian missiles.
Nasrallah's announcement came after Israeli’s biggest-selling newspaper today claimed that America has secretly negotiated with Iran to keep the U.S. out of a future Israel-Iran war.
Washington has approached Tehran through two unidentified European countries, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said.
The paper said the United States told Iran it expected Tehran in return to refrain from retaliating against U.S. interests, including its military in the Gulf. The report did not disclose any source for its information.
Deal made? Israeli¿s biggest-selling newspaper says America has secretly negotiated with Iran to keep the U.S. out of a future Israel-Iran war; Iran's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, left, is welcomed by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran last week.
An Israeli official, who asked not to be identified, described the report as illogical.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the Israeli newspaper story, which appeared during the Labor Day holiday.
President Barack Obama is fighting accusations from his Republican challenger Mitt Romney that he is lax in support for Israel, Washington’s long-term ally in the Middle East.
The Obama administration says it is strongly committed to Israel’s security and to preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. White House spokesman Jay Carney said on Sunday: 'I can tell you that there is absolutely no daylight between the United States and Israel when it comes to the necessity of preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.'
An Israeli official said: 'It doesn’t make sense. There would be no need to make such a promise to the Iranians because they realise the last thing they need is to attack U.S. targets and draw massive U.S. bombing raids.'
The United States and Israel both accuse Iran of developing nuclear capability that could be used to make a weapon, and have both said they reserve the right to take military action to prevent Iran from making a bomb.
Obama's assurance: Israel¿s Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor said he still believed Obama¿s assurances that Washington was prepared to use force if needed to prevent Iran from developing a bomb
However, the Obama administration has repeatedly made clear in public that it thinks diplomacy and tough new sanctions have not yet run their course, even as Israeli officials say the window for effective military action is rapidly closing.
And General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was quoted in Britain’s Guardian newspaper as saying of a prospective Israeli attack on Iran: 'I don’t want to be complicit if they choose to do it.'
Israel’s Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor said he still believed Obama’s assurances that Washington was prepared to use force if needed to prevent Iran from developing a bomb.
'I don’t know what kind of messages Yedioth Ahronoth heard,' Meridor said. 'But I think the Iranians understand ... that if they cross a line towards a bomb, they could encounter very strong resistance, including all the options that are on the table - as the American president has said.'
Drawing the line: On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the time had come for world powers to declare a 'clear red line' for Iran's nuclear activities.
Yedioth Ahronoth is a mainstream newspaper, not known for taking a particular political line on U.S.-Israeli ties.
Iran denies it is seeking a weapon and has threatened to retaliate fiercely against both the United States and Israel if either attacks it.
Setting what is expected to be the main talking point for his coming U.S. visit, Netanyahu said on Sunday the time had come for world powers to declare a 'clear red line' - which he did not define - for Iran’s nuclear activities.
The West had failed so far to convince Tehran it was truly determined to halt Iran’s nuclear activity, Netanyahu said, in remarks widely portrayed in Israel as a critique of Obama.
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