伊朗对唐纳德·特朗普总统威胁对伊朗船只采取海上行动做出回应，誓言保卫伊朗领土不受敌对势力的攻击。
“伊朗已经证明，它不会屈服于恐吓和威胁，也不会犹豫捍卫自己的领土，根据国际法，从任何和所有的侵略，”伊朗代表团的联合国发言人阿里雷扎·米尔尤素菲告诉新闻周刊。
特朗普发出威胁的一周前，伊朗革命卫队武装快攻艇在波斯湾靠近并盘旋第五舰队的军舰，参与了美国海军所谓的“不安全和专业的行动”。特朗普周三在推特上宣布，他已经“指示美国海军”击落并摧毁任何和所有伊朗炮艇，如果他们在海上骚扰我们的船只。"
然而，伊朗方面指责其美国对手编造了一个“好莱坞故事”，声称演习本质上是防御性的。作为对特朗普周三警告的回应，米优素菲质疑五角大楼的优先事项，尤其是在两国都在抗击同一种新型冠状病毒疾病的情况下。
“在全球冠状病毒大流行的情况下，全世界的注意力都集中在抗击这一威胁上，问题是美国军队在离家7000英里的波斯湾水域做什么，”他说。
4月15日，美国海军称，伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队海军舰艇在波斯湾进行“针对美国军舰的不安全和不专业的行动，在国际水域作业时近距离越过军舰的船头和船尾”。波斯湾是华盛顿和德黑兰之间紧张局势的长期爆发点。
其他伊朗人物也呼吁美国集中军事力量打击COVID-19。“今天，美国人必须尽最大努力拯救那些感染了冠状病毒的人，而不是欺侮他人，”准将将军阿布法兹·谢卡奇告诉伊朗学生通讯社，而议会国家安全委员会成员阿拉丁·博罗杰迪告诉媒体特朗普“想转移公众对美国内部危机和各领域缺点的看法。”
博罗杰迪警告说，美国的任何新攻击“都会得到比阿因·阿萨德更大的回应”，他指的是美国操作的伊拉克基地遭到一连串伊朗导弹袭击，以报复美国杀害革命卫队圣城军指挥官卡西姆·索莱尼在巴格达国际机场一月。
自特朗普2018年决定退出一项给予德黑兰制裁减免的多边核协议，以换取伊朗对其核计划的严格限制以来，伊拉克和波斯湾地区的一系列紧张局势升级，最终导致了美国和伊朗之间的不和。白宫辩称，该协议不足以解决伊朗支持合作民兵组织或发展导弹的问题，并对伊朗经济实施了严厉制裁。
随之而来的是整个地区的动荡加剧，国际油轮在波斯湾附近成为袭击目标在伊拉克发射的火箭这是一系列阴暗升级的一部分，有可能将美国和伊朗推向全面冲突的边缘。
在紧张加剧的情况下，五角大楼面临关于其准备情况的问题在冠状病毒大流行期间，我也对特朗普周三的推特做出了回应。
“我们部署的每一种能力，每一艘以危险方式部署的船只都有固有的自卫权利，”美国参谋长联席会议副主席、空军上将约翰·埃·海顿周三告诉记者。“这意味着我们看到了敌对行为，如果我们看到了敌对意图，我们有权做出反应，包括使用致命武力。”
“我喜欢总统警告对手，这就是他在做的，他在提供警告，”海顿补充道。“如果你想走那条路，我们会来，我们会变得强大，所以不要走那条路，这是他说的，他说得很清楚，不确定。我们理解这一方向，部署的每个指挥官都有能力执行这一方向。”
同一天早些时候，革命卫队发射了伊朗第一颗军事卫星努尔，指挥官少将·侯赛因·萨拉米称此举将允许他的部队“从太空看世界”华盛顿谴责德黑兰的太空运载火箭计划是其导弹计划的一部分。
自上周两国海军发生紧张冲突以来的几天里，伊朗海上军事领导人吹嘘他们的舰队取得了进展，两国海军认为对方是恐怖组织。包括革命卫队海军指挥官少将说，他的部队扩大了反舰导弹的射程超过430英里拥有的船只能够航行的距离是美国的三倍
“无论美国人出现在哪里，不安全就出现在哪里，我们不知道美国的存在给哪里带来了安全，”坦格利当时说。
IRAN RESPONDS TO DONALD TRUMP'S NAVY THREAT, WARNS IT WILL 'DEFEND ITS TERRITORY'
Iran has responded to President Donald Trump's threats of naval action against Iranian vessels with a vow to defend the Islamic Republic's territory from adversarial forces.
"Iran has proven that it will not succumb to intimidation and threats, nor will it hesitate to defend its territory, in accordance with international law, from any and all aggressions," Iranian mission to the United Nations spokesperson Alireza Miryousefi told Newsweek.
Trump's threat came one week after armed Iranian Revolutionary Guard fast-attack craft engaged in what the U.S. Navy called "unsafe and professional actions" by approaching and circling warships of the Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf. Trump announced Wednesday on Twitter that he has "instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea."
The Iranian side, however, accused its U.S. rival of spinning "a Hollywood tale" of what went down, claiming the maneuvers were defensive in nature. Reacting to Trump's warning Wednesday, Miryousefi questioned the Pentagon's priorities, especially as both countries battled the same novel coronavirus disease.
"In the midst of a global coronavirus pandemic when all attentions worldwide is to combat this menace, the question is what the U.S. military is doing in Persian Gulf waters, 7000 miles from home," he said.
Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy vessels conduct what the U.S. Navy described as "unsafe and unprofessional actions against U.S. Military ships by crossing the ships’ bows and sterns at close range while operating in international waters" of the Persian Gulf, a longtime flashpoint for tensions between Washington and Tehran, April 15.
Other Iranian figures also called on the U.S. to focus its military efforts on battling COVID-19. "Instead of bullying others today, Americans must do their best to save those who are infected with the coronavirus," Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi told the Iranian Students' News Agency, while parliamentary National Security Committee member Alaeddin Boroujerdi told the outlet Trump "wants to divert public opinion from the internal crisis of the United States and the shortcomings in various fields."
Any new U.S. attack "would receive a greater response than Ayn al-Asad," Boroujerdi warned, referring to the U.S.-operated Iraqi base struck with a barrage of Iranian missiles in retaliation for the U.S. slaying of Revolutionary Guard Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani at Baghdad International Airport in January.
Soleimani's death followed a series of escalations in both Iraq and the Persian Gulf that has come to define the U.S.-Iran feud since Trump's 2018 decision to exit a multilateral nuclear deal granting Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for severe restrictions on its nuclear program. The White House argued the deal did not go far enough to address Iran's support for partnered militias or its development of missiles and has rolled out intense sanctions against the Islamic Republic's economy.
What has followed is worsening unrest across the region, where international oil tankers have been targeted near the Persian Gulf and rockets fired in Iraq as part of a series of murky escalations threatening to bring the U.S. and Iran to the brink of an all-out conflict.
Amid these heightened tensions, the Pentagon—which has faced questions about its preparedness amid the coronavirus pandemic—too responded to Trump's tweet Wednesday.
"Every capability we deploy, every ship that deploys in harm's way has the inherent right of self-defense," Vice Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Air Force General John E. Hyten told reporters Wednesday. "What that means is we see a hostile act, if we see hostile intent, we have the right to respond up to and including lethal force."
"I liked that the president warned an adversary, that's what he's doing, he's providing a warning," Hyten added. "If you wanna go down that path, we will come and we will come large, so don't go down that path, that's what he is saying, he's saying it in clear, uncertain terms. We understand that direction and every commander that is deployed has the ability to execute that."
Earlier that same day, the Revolutionary Guard launched Iran's first-ever military satellite, Noor, in a move that commander Major General Hossein Salami said would now allow his forces to "see the world from space." Washington has condemned Tehran's space launch vehicle program as a part of its missile program.
In the days since the tense encounter last week between two navies that consider the other to be terrorist organizations, Iranian maritime military leaders have touted advances to their fleets. including Revolutionary Guard Navy commander Rear Admiral said his forces extended their anti-ship missile range to more than 430 miles and had vessels capable of traveling up to three times those possessed by the U.S.
"Wherever the Americans have been present, insecurity has arisen, and we do not know where the presence of the United States has led to security," Tangsiri said at the time.
