Iran not waging war against Middle Eastern countries - Foreign Ministry

Tehran has never declared war on the countries of the Middle East, even though their territories are currently used to attack Iran, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei said.

"We have never declared war on the countries of the region, despite their territory being used to attack Iran," Esmail Baghaei said.

Earlier, the top U.S. military commander in the Middle East said U.S. forces are zeroing in on Iran’s threats to freighters carrying oil and natural gas through a vital chokepoint in the Persian Gulf.

“We will continue to rapidly deplete Iran’s ability to threaten freedom of navigation in and around the Strait of Hormuz,” Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. Central Command, said.

The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February·28. The IRGC announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit.