U.S. sent message to Iran after drone downing, warning of limited strike: Iranian official

“But Iran's response was that we regard every operation as the beginning of the war.”

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting with judiciary officials in Tehran.

The United States conveyed a messgae to Iran warning of a limited stike against the country after its unmanned drone was shot down in the Gulf, Iran's civil defence agency chief Gholamreza Jalali was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency on Sunday.

“After the downing of its intruding drone, the United States told us through diplomatic intermediaries that it wanted to carry out a limited operation,” said Jalali who is also a senior commander of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards.

“But Iran's response was that we regard every operation as the beginning of the war.”

A day after the drone was downed in the Gulf, Iranian officials told Reuters on June 21 that Tehran had received a message from U.S. President Donald Trump through Oman after the drone was downed warning that a U.S. attack on Iran was imminent. Iranian and U.S. officials denied the report.