Iran's Supreme Leader puts military on high alert

(Patria) - Iranian armed forces have been put on high alert by order of the country's supreme leader,
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in light of threats from US President Donald Trump to Tehran, the Reuters news agency reported citing an Iranian official, TASS reported.

Iran has notified Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey and Bahrain that any support for a US attack on Iran, including the use of their airspace or territory by the US military during the attack, would be considered an act of hostility, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Such an act "will have severe consequences for them," the official said.

Reuters said Iran has rejected direct negotiations with the United States on a nuclear deal, but wants to continue indirect negotiations via Oman, a long-standing channel for messages between the rival states, the official said.

"Indirect talks offer an opportunity to assess Washington's seriousness regarding a political solution with Iran," the official said.

Trump said on March 7 that he had sent a proposal to Khamenei for negotiations.

The US president promised on March 30 to impose additional sanctions on Iran within two weeks if negotiations fail. He also threatened the Islamic Republic with unprecedented bombing in the event of a complete rejection of the deal. In response, Khamenei said he does not believe in US military intervention, but warned that any attempt by Washington to stir unrest in Iran would be decisively repelled.