Salehi warns US not to enter 'collision course' with Iran

Iranian FM: Tehran doesn't worry itself over Israeli missile tests; tells 'Hurriyet' Iran is "always ready for war," confident in its defenses.

By JPOST.COM STAFF, REUTERS
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi 311 (R) (photo credit: REUTERS/Herwig Prammer)
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi 311 (R)
(photo credit: REUTERS/Herwig Prammer)
Iran warned the United States on Thursday that it should think twice before it enters a "collision course" with the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program.
"The US has unfortunately lost its wisdom and prudence in dealing with international issues. It only depends on power," Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi told reporters during a visit to the Libyan city of Benghazi.
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"Of course we are prepared for the worst, but we hope that they think twice before they put themselves on a collision course with Iran," he said.
Asked about a missile test conducted by Israel on Wednesday, Salehi said: "That is not important, that is not even something we bother ourselves with."
In addition to the missile test launch, Israel announced the completion of a joint exercise between the Israel Air Force, Italy and NATO in Sardinia Wednesday, which took place amidst intense media speculation about possible plans to strike Iran.
Earlier, in an interview published Thursday in the Tukeish daily Hurriyet, Salehi said that Iran is "always ready for war," adding that if any country tried to insult Iran, it would respond fiercely.
Salehi went on to tell Hurriyet, “Iran has always been threatened by Israel. This is not new for us. We have been hearing threats from Israel for eight years. Our nation is a united nation. Its roots are deep in history. Such threats are not new to us.”
“We are very confident of ourselves. We can defend our country.”
In addition to Israeli military exercises, a report in The Guardian on Wednesday speculated that the UK is speeding up plans for targeted missile strikes against Iranian nuclear targets, should the US lead such a strike.