Amid rising tensions, Iran has warned that attacks on American military bases in the Middle East cannot be ruled out. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Education, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said Tehran will determine the timing, nature, and scale of any retaliatory response to U.S. actions against its nuclear facilities. General Abdolrahim Mousavi, Iran's newly appointed Armed Forces Chief, declared that Iran is prepared to take decisive action against both the United States and its “illegitimate and aggressive offspring,” Israel. “The hands of Islam’s warriors are now free to take any necessary steps,” he stated, signaling a significant escalation in rhetoric.