An Iranian lawmaker says Tehran will respond in kind if the US uses a nuclear weapon against Iran, commenting on a media report about the possibility of such an attack, Anadolu reports citing local media.

Fada Hossein Maleki, a member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, made the remarks in an interview with Iranian news outlet Khabar Online.

Asked how likely he considered a US nuclear attack on Iran, Maleki says: “I do not rule out an ill-considered action by [US President Donald] Trump, but I do not think he would dare to do such a thing, because such an action could plunge the world into a dangerous war.

“If such an action is taken, the Islamic Republic of Iran will also respond, and its reaction will be proportionate to the type of weapon used against Iran,” he adds

Pressed on whether this meant Iran would use a nuclear weapon if the US attacked Iran with one, Maleki replies, “Whatever the US uses, Iran will respond to it.”

Maleki has not explicitly said that Iran possesses nuclear weapons.