Tehran to Gulf states: Either shut down US bases or face Iran's pushback

Iran has called on Gulf countries to close American military bases on their territory, Saeed Khatibzadeh, deputy foreign minister of the Islamic Republic, said in an interview with CNN.

Khatibzadeh said that Iran had communicated with Gulf Arab states to shut down US bases which Tehran considers a threat.

“We communicated with them: either to shut down those American bases that are constantly threatening Iran and are constantly using to offend on Iran, or we have no option just to push back,” he said.

Iran “cannot reach out to American soil, so we have no option just to attack any bases which is under US jurisdiction,” he added.

Following the joint US-Israeli strikes on February 28, Iran responded with an unprecedented wave of strikes across the Middle East, targeting several countries that host US military bases, including Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Strikes have continued throughout today, March 1, killing civilians, damaging property and bringing air and water traffic to a standstill.