Iran warns any action against its interests will get a severe response

DUBAI - Iran will respond to any action against its interests, President Ebrahim Raisi said on Tuesday, according to the Iranian Student News Agency, a day after Israel warned it will respond to Tehran's weekend drone and missile attack.

"We categorically declare that the smallest action against Iranian interests will certainly be met with a severe, widespread and painful response against any perpetrator," Raisi told the Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.

Israel's military Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, said on Monday that Iran's attack on Israel - which was a retaliation after the April 1 bombing of the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus - warranted a response.

Iran's deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani told state TV on Monday night that Tehran's counteroffensive following any Israeli retaliation would be "a matter of seconds as Iran will not wait for another 12 days to respond."