An Iranian official declared that Iran would take action if they felt their national interests were “endangered,” a semiofficial news agency reported on Tuesday. “Our strategy now is that if we feel our enemies want to endanger Iran’s national interests ... we will act without waiting for their actions,” said Mohammad Hejazi, the deputy head of Iran’s armed forces. A U.S. official had said earlier in the week that despite escalating tensions with Iran, U.S. spy services believe Iran would not start a conflict unless they were attacked first. Senior United Nations officials have begun the second round of talks with Tehran in three weeks to try to quell Iran’s reported buildup of its nuclear program.
