Iran says neighbours won't allow use of their 'soil or airspace' for attack

KUWAIT CITY/NEW YORK — Iran's neighbours have promised not to allow their "soil or airspace" to be used for attacks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday, as Israel weighs a potential retaliatory strike.

"All our neighbours have assured us that they won't allow their soil or airspace to be used against the Islamic Republic of Iran," Araghchi told a press conference in Kuwait, weeks after Iran's October 1 missile attack on Israel.

Iran on Monday warned the United States would bear "full responsibility" in case of a retaliatory attack by Israel on the Islamic Republic, after US President Joe Biden indicated he was aware of Israeli plans to do so.

Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, called Biden's remarks "profoundly alarming and provocative" in a letter addressed to United Nations chief Antonio Guterres and the Swiss presidency of the UN Security Council.

The US president responded "yes and yes" when asked Friday by a reporter if he had "a good understanding right now" of how and when Israel would respond to Iran's missile barrage on October 1.

Iran launched around 200 ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Tehran-backed leaders belonging to Hamas and Hezbollah, and an Iranian Revolutionary Guard general.

US ally Israel, at war with Hamas in Gaza and Hizbollah in Lebanon, vowed revenge against Iran for the strikes.

"This inflammatory statement [of Biden] is deeply concerning, as it indicates the United States' tacit approval and explicit support for Israel's unlawful military aggression against Iran," Iravani wrote in the letter.

"Therefore, the United States will bear full responsibility for its role in instigating, inciting and enabling any acts of aggression by Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran, in flagrant violation of the fundamental principles of international law and the United Nations Charter," he said.

According to the Washington Post, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told Biden that he intends to strike Iran's military sites, and not to target nuclear or oil infrastructure.