US involvement in Israeli strikes would bring 'hell', Iranian minister says
Iran's deputy foreign minister has warned that US involvement in the ongoing Israeli military operations could ignite widespread conflict in the region, stating it would lead to "hell for the whole region."
In an interview with the BBC, the minister Saeed Khatibzadeh, reiterated Tehran's preference for diplomacy but stressed that negotiations cannot happen amid continued attacks on Iran.
Asked what Iran means when it says "all options are on the table" if former US President Donald Trump involves the United States in the conflict, Khatibzadeh said: "The moment that this aggression stops, of course diplomacy is the first option."
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He emphasised that Iran does not view the ongoing war as one in which the US should be involved: "We think that this war is not American war."
"But if they would like to get into this war, President Trump will be remembered forever for a war that it was not his war, but dragged him," he continued. "And this will be a quagmire and this will be hell for the whole region."
