(AP) - Iranian forces “are waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever,” the country's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said Sunday.
Qalibaf added: “Our firing continues. Our missiles are in place. Our determination and faith have increased.”
The comments came as regional powers plan to meet in Pakistan to discuss how to end the fighting in the Middle East as about 2,500 U.S. Marines arrived in the region and Iranian-backed Houthi rebels entered the monthlong war.
Iran’s parliament speaker on Sunday warned the U.S. against a ground invasion, threatening to set the American troops “on fire” and step up attacks on US allies, according to Iranian official media.
He described the U.S.’s 15-point plan which Pakistan passed to Iran last week as “their wishes” and said the Trump administration is attempting to do through the plan what it has failed to achieve by force.
“As long as the Americans seek Iran’s surrender, our response is clear: Far be it from us to accept humiliation,” he said.
The number of American service members wounded in the Iran war has grown beyond 300, with more than two dozen troops injured this week from attacks on a Saudi air base.
Tehran threatens to target Israeli and American educational facilities unless US condemns Iranian universities’ bombings
The Revolutionary Guard’s warning on Sunday said it would consider Israeli universities and branches of American universities in the region “legitimate targets,” state media reported.
“If the U.S. government wants its universities in the region spared, it should condemn the bombardment of (Iranian) universities by 12 o’clock Monday, March 30, in an official statement,” the Guard said in a statement, urging the evacuations of American and Israeli educational facilities and telling students and staff to stay at least one kilometer (0.6 miles) away.
The Guard also demanded the United States stop Israel from striking Iranian universities and research centers, which have been attacked in recent days. Israel’s military has acknowledged striking Iranian universities it says are connected to weapons development.
This is the first time Iran has threatened to strike Israeli and American universities.
Around the Middle East
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Pakistan on Sunday. Turkey and Egypt are also expected to send senior diplomats to Islamabad for the talks.
The war has threatened global supplies of oil and natural gas, sparked fertilizer shortages and disrupted air travel. Iran’s grip on the strategic Strait of Hormuz has shaken markets and prices.
The Houthis’ entry could further hurt global shipping if they again target vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait off the Red Sea, through which about 12% of the world’s trade typically passes.
Here is the latest:
Saudi FM arrives in Pakistan for talks on Mideast war
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan arrived in Pakistan on Sunday to attend a meeting of diplomats from Islamic countries focused on ongoing efforts to end war in the Middle East.
According to a statement from Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, the two sides will hold talks on the evolving regional situation.
Prince Faisal is also expected to meet with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and other Pakistani officials during his visit.
UAE adviser says Iran is ‘main threat’ to Gulf countries
An adviser to the United Arab Emirates has called for any settlement to the war in the Middle East to include “clear guarantees” that Iranian attacks on its neighbors won’t be repeated.
In a social media post, Anwar Gargash said the Iranian government has become “the main threat” to the Persian Gulf security.
He called for compensation for attacking civilian and vital infrastructure