Iran threatens US involvement will lead to ‘all-out war’ — as Tehran reportedly prepping to strike American military bases

( NYPost )

Iran bluntly threatened the US on Wednesday that any involvement in its conflict with Israel would trigger an “all-out war” — as Tehran reportedly started prepping missiles for retaliatory strikes on American bases.

“Any American intervention would be a recipe for an all-out war in the region,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei warned in an interview with Al Jazeera.

The foreign ministry spokesman stopped short of elaborating, but thousands of American troops are based in nearby countries within range of Iran’s weapons.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei echoed the threat on Wednesday, warning that any US strike would have “serious irreparable consequences.”

Khamenei vowed too that Iran would never back down and said his country “does not answer well to threats” as he rejected President Trump’s earlier call for an unconditional surrender.

“Intelligent people who know Iran, the Iranian nation, and its history will never speak to this nation in threatening language because the Iranian nation will not surrender,” he said in a statement read out on state media.

“The Americans should know that any U.S. military intervention will undoubtedly be accompanied by irreparable damage.”

Iran’s spate of menacing remarks came after American officials told the New York Times that Tehran had already started preparing missiles to strike US bases in the Middle East if they joined the war — starting with those in Iraq.

Iran could also mine the Strait of Hormuz — a move that would trap American warships in the Persian Gulf, the officials said.

It comes after Trump demanded late Tuesday that Iran surrender and warned the supreme leader that the US knew where he was.

“We know exactly where the so-called ‘Supreme Leader’ is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.

“But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

The Iranian ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva hit back Wednesday, calling Trump’s remarks “hostile.”

“The remarks made by Donald Trump are completely unwarranted, are very hostile. We cannot ignore them. We are vigilant about what Donald Trump is saying. We will put it in our calculations, in our assessments,” he told reporters.

“There is a line, which if crossed, there should be a response on our side. Once the red line is crossed, the response will come.”

He added that the US was “complicit in what Israel is doing.”

“We will not show any reluctance in defending our people, security and land,” he said. “We will respond seriously and strongly, without restraint.”

Thousands of people were fleeing Tehran on Wednesday after Israeli warplanes bombed the city overnight.

Israel’s military said 50 Israeli jets had struck around 20 targets in Tehran, including sites producing raw materials, components and manufacturing systems for missiles.

Iran retaliated with a small barrage of missiles aimed at the Jewish state.