RABAT, July 15. /TASS/. If US forces launch a ground operation on Iranian territory, Tehran could respond proportionately by attacking one or more of the US military bases in the Persian Gulf region, Iranian lawmaker and former Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said.

"If the United States dares to seize any part of Iranian territory, such as Kharg Island, Iran will have the right to invade what is effectively US territory represented by American military bases in the region through a combined helicopter-borne and ground assault," the Baghdad Today news portal quoted Mottaki as saying.

The former foreign minister also said that all previous agreements with Washington, including the recent memorandum of understanding, "were nothing but deception." In his view, the United States "is not seeking serious negotiations.".