The United States has warned Iran not to underestimate its resolve as an Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander said he feared that war in the Gulf region could quickly spiral "out of control."
US National Security Adviser John Bolton told Iran that it should not "mistake US prudence and discretion for weakness" after President Donald Trump called off strikes against Iranian targets on Friday.
"No one has granted them a hunting licence in the Middle East," Bolton said in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.
Trump said he decided against the strikes because he was told that 150 people would die in the attacks and this would not be a "proportionate" response to Iran's downing of an unmanned US spy drone earlier this week.
Tehran, which insists the drone violated its airspace, said it would take legal action against the United States and present "incontrovertible evidence" to the United Nations that the drone was indeed over Iranian territory.
Foreign Minister Javad Zarif published additional coordinates and maps on Twitter that purported to show that the drone was in Iranian airspace before being shot down by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC).
"There can be no doubt about where the vessel was when it was brought down," Zarif said.
The US insists the aircraft was downed over international waters in the cramped Strait of Hormuz, a key energy shipping route.
But Iran also urged restraint. Laya Joneydi, Iran's vice president for legal affairs, said that all sides must attempt to avoid an escalation of the conflict as she announced the legal action.
Gholam Ali Rashid, commander of the Khatam-al Anbiya headquarters of the IRGC, said Iran had no interest in a regional war and should avoid being drawn into a "strategic conflict" with the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia.
"If a war in the region should break out, it would spiral out of control and no country would be able to get a grip on its extent or duration any more," he said in remarks posted online by the IRGC on Sunday.
Rashid said the United States should also consider that "wrong actions" could have grave consequences. "The Americans should at least be conscientious with the lives of their own soldiers and not put them in unnecessary danger," he said.
Netanyahu accused Iran of being a destabilising force in the region well before the events of recent weeks. Israel had seen "an explosion of terror and aggression" ever since a nuclear agreement between Iran and global powers was reached in 2015, removing economic sanctions, he said.
"Iranian forces fired dozens of rockets into Israeli territory and flew drones into Israeli airspace," he said.
The US withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement last year and reimposed sanctions. It is expected to announce new sanctions against Iran on Monday.
Australian Associated Press
