US denies role in Israel strikes, warns Iran against harming Americans

Shafaq News/ The United States is not involved in Israel’s recent attacks on Iran, but any harm to American citizens will be met with a “crackdown,” US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a White House press briefing, Bruce stated, “We are not a party to Israel’s attacks on Iran, and I believe that has been made very clear by both Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump.”

She added, “The President has made it clear: if Americans are harmed — if a missile targets American civilians or soldiers — there will be a crackdown. That should not come as a surprise.”

Commenting on reports of civilian deaths in Gaza during humanitarian aid distributions, Bruce said, “We are always saddened to hear of any reports involving casualties or gunfire. The State Department has stated that a specific incident is under review, which is a useful step, and we will see what that review reveals.”

Bruce noted that the Gaza Relief Foundation is operating at four distribution points and has delivered nearly 26 million meals to date.

On reports of expanded US travel restrictions to 36 additional countries, Bruce declined to discuss specifics, but affirmed, “We are committed to protecting our citizens under the highest standards of national and public safety.”

In response to a Shafaq News question regarding whether the US. had received a formal request from Iraq’s Ministry of Defense to help prevent Israeli aircraft from flying over its airspace, Bruce replied, “You’ll need to speak to the Department of Defense and the White House on that. There are no details about any such conversations involving any country.”

Bruce emphasized that the State Department is closely monitoring heightened tensions across the region. “We’ve issued more than 30 security alerts for regional countries and updated our travel warnings for Iraq and Israel. We remind US citizens not to travel to both — and under no circumstances to travel to Iran.”

She concluded by stating that the Department continues to assess the fast-evolving situation to ensure the safety of American citizens abroad.