Deputy Iranian Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh said that its Middle Eastern neighbors were warned well in advance that any attack on Iran would lead to Tehran retaliating at US military bases in the region, The Print reports.

“Why are they there? To fish in the Persian Gulf?” Khatibzadeh asked.

Hitting out at the US and Israel, he said that the attacks came as Iran was in discussions with Qatar, Oman and other regional countries for a new “inclusive” regional architecture, while simultaneously negotiating an agreement with Washington at Geneva over its nuclear program.

“We have no option but to put an end to the existence of America in the areas surrounding Iran… We told the Americans, and our neighbors, if they would like to put an end to the oldest civilization on earth, then we will put an end to their existence in the Persian Gulf region,” Khatibzadeh added.