Any US attack on Iran, regardless of its scale or nature, will be seen by Iran as a full-scale war against the Islamic Republic, and Tehran will respond to such an attack with the utmost severity.
This was stated by a senior Iranian official to reporters in New York.
“This time we will see any attack, whether it is limited, unlimited, surgical, kinetic or whatever you call it, as a full-scale war against us and we will respond with the harshest possible force,“ he said.
“The protests in Iran were an operation carried out with the support of foreign intelligence agencies, and Tehran is investigating the involvement of foreign intelligence agencies agencies", the source continued.
"This was an intelligence operation supported from abroad", he said. "Dozens of people directly linked to Mossad were detained. We are investigating the involvement of other foreign intelligence agencies."
The unrest in Iran began on December 29 after street protests sparked by the sharp collapse of the rial and spread to most major cities.
On January 23, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced that the death toll had reached 3,117 - both civilians and security forces.
US President Donald Trump had previously warned that he was seriously considering the use of force against the republic.