Iran asked the United States to not interfere in its plans for retaliation against Israel, an Iranian official alleged Friday.
Mohammad Jamshidi, Iran’s deputy chief of staff for political affairs, claimed in a tweet that this exchange occurred.
“In a written message, the Islamic Republic of Iran warned America not to fall into Netanyahu’s trap: step aside so you don’t get hit. In response, America asked Iran not to hit American targets,” Jamshidi tweeted.
The U.S. warned, as opposed to “asked,” Iran not to use this as a pretext to attack U.S. facilities and personnel, a State Dept. spokesperson told the Daily Caller. The spokesperson confirmed that the U.S. did receive a message from Iran but did not specify the message’s contents.
جمهوری اسلامی ایران در پیامی مکتوب به آمریکا هشدار داد در دام نتانیاهو نیفتد: کنار بکش تا ضربه نخوری. در پاسخ، آمریکا از ایران درخواست کرد که اهداف آمریکایی را نزند.
— Mohammad Jamshidi (@MhmmdJamshidi) April 5, 2024
Israel launched a strike Monday near an Iranian embassy near Syria that killed several Iranian military advisors, Reuters reported. Biden did inform Iran that the US had “no involvement in the [Israeli] strike and … did not know about it ahead of time,” according to Axios. Israel only gave the U.S. a warning a few minutes before executing the operation, Axios reported. Iran is preparing a response to the airstrike. (RELATED: Israel-Iran Standoff Threatens To Put American Troops Back In The Crosshairs, Experts Say)
Iran said it asked the US to “step aside” as the country prepares a response to a suspected Israeli attack on its consulate in Syria https://t.co/75N0ri2ueI
— Bloomberg (@business) April 5, 2024
Iran is a state sponsor of terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah, according to a 2021 report by the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism.
Hamas launched a bloody assault on Israel on Oct 7 that left 1,200 dead and ignited the current Israel-Hamas war. Hezbollah has been firing projectiles into Israel since Oct. 8 out of solidarity with Hamas.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to include a response from a State Dept. spokesperson on Iran’s claims.