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The foreign minister of Iran has warned on Thursday that the United States would be held accountable if Israel attacks Iranian nuclear sites, as per the CNN report.

Iran and the US are scheduled to hold their fifth round of talks on Friday after deep disagreement over uranium enrichment in Iran. The development unfolded after the US claimed that Iran could develop nuclear bombs.

However, the claim was consistently refuted by Tehran, insisting that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes. “Iran strongly warns against any adventurism by the Zionist regime of Israel and will decisively respond to any threat or unlawful act by this regime,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated in a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

“I have called on the international community to take effective preventive measures against the continuation of Israeli threats, which if unchecked, will compel Iran to take special measures in defence of our nuclear facilities and materials,” Araghchi said.

The minister emphasised that Tehran would consider Washington as a “participant” in any such attack. “The nature, content, and extent of our actions will correspond and be proportionate to preventive measures taken by these international bodies in accordance with their statutory duties and obligations,” he added.

Araghchi’s comments come in response to a CNN report from Tuesday, which claimed that the US has obtained “new intelligence” indicating that Israel is preparing for a potential strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Netanyahu Warns Of Military Action If Iran Acquires Nuclear Weapons

While Israel has not officially confirmed any such plans, top officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have consistently warned that they may take military action to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons if it decides to pursue them.

Meanwhile, the US and Iran are scheduled to engage in indirect talks in Rome on Friday, the fifth round of negotiations aimed at reaching a possible agreement where Tehran would curtail or halt uranium enrichment in return for the easing of economic sanctions. Israel has persistently voiced such a deal between the US and Iran.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which reports directly to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has separately warned Israel that it would receive a “devastating and decisive response” if Iran were attacked.

“They are trying to frighten us with war, but are miscalculating as they are unaware of the powerful popular and military support the Islamic Republic can muster in war conditions,” IRGC spokesperson Alimohammad Naini said. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls US demands forcing Tehran to stop enriching uranium “excessive and outrageous”.