Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned on Monday that his country would retaliate severely to any possible attack by the United States over Tehran's controversial nuclear plans.
"They (the Americans) understand that if they should make this mistake, the retaliation of the Iranian people will be severe and they will repent," he told reporters at the end of his visit to the United Arab Emirates.
"They cannot strike Iran. The Iranian people are able to retaliate. They are able to protect and defend themselves well," he stated, according to AFP. Ahmadinejad stressed once again Tehran's assertions that its nuclear works were being pursued "within the context of the law" in keeping with its "right to acquire this energy."
The Iranian leader said landmark talks on Iraq between US and Iranian delegates, announced by both sides on Sunday, would take place in Baghdad, but the date has not been decided. The United States "requested to talk with Iran" in order to solve security issues in Iraq, he said. "In order to support the Iraqi people, we declared that we are ready."
