The official suggested that if another country joined the conflict on Israels side, Tehran would only have more targets to destroy

Iran intends to continue its military response against Israel and could target its nuclear infrastructure, a senior Iranian security official has told RT.

In an exclusive statement to the head of RT's Tehran bureau, the official, who chose to remain anonymous, said that Iranian armed forces will maintain missile and drone operations throughout the day, specifically targeting "the occupied territories and Israeli garrisons."

The official said Iran's response follows "the Quranic advice on retaliation," and warned that Iranian forces would respond "to any extent and wherever the regime attacks Iranian soil." He noted, however, that based on "Iran's moral principles," there would be no attacks on hospitals.

"The Zionist regime's claim that Iran attacked one of the hospitals in the occupied territories is completely false," the official stressed, referring to reports of the Soroka hospital being struck in the city of Be'er Sheva in southern Israel.

He also stated that Tehran's response will be escalated in light of the Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. "Since the [Israeli] regime has attacked our nuclear facilities, our armed forces will subject their nuclear facilities to crushing blows," the official said.

Since launching its assault last week, Israel has hit several Iranian nuclear facilities, including sites in Natanz, Isfahan, Fordow and near Tehran. Between nine and 14 nuclear researchers have been reported killed in the attacks.

Without naming the US directly, the Iranian official also warned that "if another country directly enters into war with us, it will provide much more accessible targets for the Iranian armed forces to destroy."

US President Donald Trump has hailed Israel's attacks on Iran as "excellent" and has urged Tehran to surrender unconditionally. He has also warned that the US could become directly involved in the conflict if any American targets are hit by Iran.

Last Friday, Israeli forces began carrying out strikes on Iran, claiming Tehran is nearing the completion of a nuclear bomb. Iran dismissed the accusations and retaliated with waves of drone and missile strikes on the Jewish state.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, has since also refuted Israel's claims, stating that the watchdog has found no evidence that Iran has been making a "systematic effort" to produce a nuclear weapon.

(RT.com)