The US should think about the lives of its military forces before considering further military action in the Middle East, an Iranian general has warned, predicting that a US-Iran conflict would devastate the entire region.

“The US administration should behave in a responsible way to protect the lives of American forces,” Maj. Gen. Gholamali Rashid said on Sunday, while addressing Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Rashid stressed that if war does come, it would be the fault of “US interventionist policy,” and would have disastrous consequences for the entire region.

The senior military officer insisted that Iran is not seeking war but “will powerfully defend” itself against “any threat and aggression.”

His comments come as National Security Advisor John Bolton boasted that the US military is “ready to go” and reserves the right to strike Iran.

The two nations came perilously close to exchanging blows after Iran shot down an unmanned US military drone, which Tehran claims was flying in its airspace. The White House was preparing to retaliate with airstrikes, but US President Donald Trump reportedly called off the operation, citing concerns about how many Iranians would be killed by the attack.

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