Iran threatens retaliation if US hits nuclear sites

Iran threatened Tuesday to attack U.S. interests, its allies, and countries backing Washington if the United States strikes Iran's nuclear or other sensitive facilities.

Iran's Khatem al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the country's top joint military command, said such an attack would mark an expansion of the war in the region, according to Iranian state media and a statement posted on Telegram.

"The criminal United States has threatened to attack the nuclear and sensitive centers of the Islamic Republic of Iran," the statement said.

If the United States carries out such an attack, "all interests of the United States, its allies and the supporters of that rogue and evil country will be targeted in a powerful assault" by Iran's armed forces, the command said.

The warning came after President Donald Trump said the United States would likely strike the Pickaxe Mountain area "pretty soon" and "very heavily."

"We'll be hitting that area very probably pretty soon," Trump said. "There's not a thing they can do about it. You know, normally I wouldn't say that. If I thought they could do something about it, I would never say that. But we'll be hitting that area pretty soon, and very heavily."

Trump said the United States believes Iran "may have" stored centrifuges at the site but added, "We don't have it on record."

Even if centrifuges were there, Trump said, "it doesn't mean anything unless they have the [nuclear] material." He added that the United States believes Iran does not possess that material.