At UN Security Council meeting US warns Iran not to target it over Syria strike

The United States warned Iran on April 2 not to retaliate against it for an attack on Iran's embassy compound in Syria, telling the U.N. Security Council it had no prior warning of the strike that Tehran has blamed on Washington's ally Israel, Reuters reports.

Iran said the strike on April 1 killed two of its generals and five military advisers. According to different newspapers, six Syrians were also killed as a result of the strike.

"We will not hesitate to defend our personnel and repeat our prior warnings to Iran and its proxies not to take advantage of the situation - again, an attack in which we had no involvement or advanced knowledge - to resume their attacks on U.S. personnel," said deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood.

Iran told the 15-member Security Council that it reserves the right "to take a decisive response" to the attack, accusing Israel of violating the founding U.N. Charter, international law, and the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises, Reuters adds.

"The United States is responsible for all crimes committed by the Israeli regime," said Iran's deputy U.N. Ambassador Zahra Ershadi, accusing the U.S. of trying to destabilize Syria and the region.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier on Tuesday condemned the attack in Damascus, calling on "all concerned to exercise utmost restraint and avoid further escalation," U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.