Iran said it had conveyed to Washington that it will respond firmly to the United States if it becomes directly involved in Israel's military campaign, the Iranian ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva said on Wednesday.

Iran warned that any direct U.S. support for Israel could trigger an immediate Iranian response. Its UN ambassador in Geneva stated that if Tehran determines the U.S. is involved in attacks on Iran, it will begin retaliating against American targets.

When Israel launched its series of strikes against Iran last week, it also issued a number of dire warnings about the country’s nuclear program, suggesting Iran was fast approaching a point of no return in its quest to obtain nuclear weapons and that the strikes were necessary to preempt that outcome.