Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations says US action was 'an act of war' -- and vows 'harsh revenge'

President Donald Trump said that his attack on Iran targets last week and the killing of top Gen. Qasem Soleimani were "not an act of war," but the Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations disagreed.

In an interview with CNN's Erin Burnett, Ambassador Majid Takht-Ravanchi called the action "an act of war against the Iranian people, and vowed "military action" as "revenge."

"In fact, it was an act of war on the part of the United States against Iranian people," he said. "The U.S. started an economic war against the Iranian people back in May 2018 when President Trump decided to withdraw from the JCOPA, the nuclear deal. And started the maximum-pressure policy against the Iranians, putting lots of economic pressure on Iran. And they have continued until today. Last night, they opened a new chapter --the attack against Iranians by assassinating one of our most beloved generals, who is popular not only in Iran but also in the countries in the region. So, that was, as I said, a new chapter which is tantamount to opening a war against Iran."

Burnett later asked if Iran intended to retaliate.

"As I said, the U.S. has already started a war against Iran," he continued. "Not only economic war but something beyond that by assassinating one of our top generals who is being mourned by the people in Iran and in the region. So, we cannot just close our eyes to what happened last night. Definitely, there will be a revenge. There will be a harsh revenge. Iran will -- will act based on its own choosing."

See the video interview below: