Iran warns Gulf states over help to US military

Iran's armed forces warned Gulf countries on Wednesday against assisting the US military, saying such help would amount to joining American military operations.

Armed forces chief of staff Ali Abdollahi said that “any assistance or facilitation provided to the aggressor US military amounts to participation in the US military operation,” according to Iran's Mehr news agency.

Abdollahi said it seemed unlikely that a large number of military aircraft, especially refuelling aircraft, could be present at regional bases without host countries' knowledge. He said countries bordering the Persian Gulf that had said they would not allow the United States to use their territory against Iran should know Tehran was “fully aware of the situation.”

The warning came during the war between Iran and the United States, which began on February 28 after US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes, including on US bases in the region.

The USS George Washington aircraft carrier is being redeployed to the Middle East to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln after reports of deteriorating living conditions for its crew.