Iran Says US will take 'full responsibility' for Israeli retaliation

Iran has warned that the United States will bear "full responsibility" if Israel launches a retaliatory attack against Iran. US President Joe Biden has previously confirmed that he is aware of Israeli plans to retaliate against Iran.

In a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the Swiss presidency of the UN Security Council on Monday, Iran's Permanent representative to the United Nations, Iravani, called Biden's response "extremely shocking and provocative, showing US acquiescence and clear support for Israel's illegal military aggression against Iran."

A reporter asked Biden on Friday if he now knew how and when Israel would retaliate against Iran for its Oct. 1 missile attack on Israel. Biden said the answer to both questions was "yes."

In his letter, Iravani called Biden's response provocative, indicating that the United States acquiesced and explicitly supported Israel's illegal military aggression against Iran, and that "the United States will therefore bear full responsibility for its role in inciting, abetting and supporting any Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is a flagrant violation of the fundamental principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations."

In retaliation for Israel's killing of the Iran-backed leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon and the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Iran fired about 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1. The Washington Post quoted two people familiar with the matter as saying that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a phone call with Biden on the 9th that Israel planned to attack Iranian military facilities, not oil or nuclear facilities.