Iran is saying it will respond firmly to any threat against it and warned on Sunday of the risks of a military confrontation.
"If a conflict breaks out in the region, no country would be able to manage its scope and timing," Maj. Gen. Gholamali Rashid said, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
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"The American government must act responsibly to protect the lives of American troops by avoiding misconduct in the region."
The Iranian general spoke after US National Security Adviser John Bolton said on Sunday that Iran should not "mistake US prudence and discretion for weakness."
Speaking alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Bolton said that no one has granted Iran a "hunting license in the Middle East."
The comments come days after US President Donald Trump announced he called off military strikes on Iran after learning that approximately 150 Iranians would be killed, saying it would have been out of proportion to the shooting down of an unmanned American surveillance drone by Iran.
Bolton said economic sanctions imposed on Iran would continue and that the US reserves the right to attack it at a later point. He emphasized that Trump had only "stopped the strike from going forward at this time.'"
Bolton arrived in Israel on Saturday to take part in a historic security summit in Jerusalem with National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat and Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev.
Netanyahu, who is expected to take part in the "discussion about regional security issues," has called the meeting "unprecedented."
Ahead of the meeting, Patrushev said Moscow would be looking out for Iran's interests in Syria.
"Iran is in Syria at the invitation of the legitimate government and is actively involved in fighting terrorism. Therefore, of course, we will have to take into account the interests of Iran," Patrushev said.
The meeting will be held amid rising tensions between Iran and the US. On Thursday, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps shot down an American surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz.
Netanyahu has repeatedly called on the international community to support the US against Iran's "aggressive behavior" in the region, clarifying that Israel's Defense Forces is ready to assist the US military.
This article was originally published by i24NEWS.
