Iran yesterday threatened that Western action against Syria would escalate into a regional war, pointedly warning of “perilous consequences” in the aftermath of harsh statements from the State Department and White House accusing the Bashar al-Assad regime of crossing Washington’s long-standing “red line” against the use of chemical weapons.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Abbas Araqchi, indicated it was equally resolved to defend Assad.

“We want to strongly warn against any military attack in Syria. There will definitely be perilous consequences for the region,” Araqchi told a news conference. “These complications and consequences will not be restricted to Syria. It will engulf the whole region.”

The Guardian conveyed the statements of Araqchi, contextualizing them as evidence that Tehran was ‘resolved’ to defend the Assad government. Iran’s commitment to embattled Damascus regime has been a mainstay in the foreign policy declarations of newly inaugurated Iranian president Hassan Rouhani. Iranian officials yesterday declared that Western strikes against Syria would trigger attacks at least on Israel.

[Photo: Foundation of Holy Defense Values, Archives and Publications / wikimedia.org]