TEHRAN – A top Iranian lawmaker says U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to attack Iran is merely a “psychological operation”, Mehr reported on Monday.

“The U.S. has been trying to foment insecurity in the Islamic Republic’s borders and give hope to regional officials who have paid a lot to the U.S.,” said Ahmad Amirabadi, a member of the Majlis presiding board.

On the IRGC’s downing of a U.S. spy drone in Iran’s airspace, Amirabadi said the move highlighted Iran’s deterrence power and that the Islamic Republic is capable of eliminating most of the advanced American military equipment.

“Our armed forces can destroy any aircraft if they intend to,” the MP asserted.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he suggested that Iran “must sue the intrusion of the U.S. drone into its territories in international courts, the United Nations and the [UN] Security Council.” 

“Also, countries that have made their skies available to American planes should be sued by the Islamic Republic in international courts, the United Nations and the Security Council,” he suggested.

The remarks came after Trump said the U.S. had been “cocked and loaded” to retaliate against Iran after he learned an Iranian missile system shot down a U.S. military drone.

However, the U.S. president claimed he decided to call off the mission after he learned 150 Iranians would die as a result of the strike.

The U.S. Global Hawk spy drone intruded into Iranian airspace on Thursday and was shot down by the IRGC after the drone ignored Iran’s several warnings. The Guards said there was another intruding U.S. manned plane beside the Global Hawk but the force refrained from targeting it.

“There was a plane with 38 people yesterday, did you see that?” Trump told reporters on Saturday before leaving the White House for Camp David.

“I think that’s a big story. They had it in their sights and they didn’t shoot it down. I think they were very wise not to do that. And we appreciate that they didn’t do that. I think that was a very wise decision.”

However, he later tweeted that “I never called the strike against Iran ‘BACK,’ as people are incorrectly reporting, I just stopped it from going forward at this time!”

MH/PA