Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has issued a stern warning against any possible attack by the United States in retaliation for a strike that killed three American troops in Jordan, AFP reports.

“We have said many times that we will not be the initiator of any war, but if a country, a cruel force wants to bully, the Islamic Republic of Iran will respond firmly,” Raisi said during a trip to the southern province of Hormozgan.

Iran’s “military power in the region was not and is not a threat to any country,” but a source of security that countries in the region can rely on and trust, he said.

“Today, the enemy has no ability to do anything against us; because they know that our forces are powerful and capable.”

The death of the American soldiers in a drone strike at a base in Jordan on Sunday marked the first US military losses to hostile fire in the region since October 7.