TEHRAN, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said if the United States launches attacks on Iran again, U.S. military bases in the Middle East will be targeted.
Araghchi made the remarks in an interview with Qatar's Al Jazeera on Tuesday, while commenting on Iran's retaliatory missile attack in June on a U.S. air base in Qatar after the U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear sites.
"We did not attack Qatar, but the U.S. base in Qatar. If a war erupts between us and the United States, and the Americans attack our nuclear facilities, they must definitely expect that we attack their military bases. It makes no difference where those bases are located," Araghchi said.
"We live in utter friendship with our neighbors and have no problem with Qatar and other regional countries. However, the U.S. bases are located on certain countries' territory," he added.
Araghchi reiterated that a peaceful solution to Iran's nuclear issue is completely attainable, provided that both sides respect one another's rights and are ready to achieve an agreement based on mutual interests.
On June 22, U.S. forces bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities, joining Israeli strikes on Iran which triggered a 12-day conflict. It came as Iran and the United States had held five rounds of indirect talks on Tehran's nuclear program and the removal of U.S. sanctions. ■