Iran dismisses war fears
Iran’s top diplomat yesterday dismissed the possibility of war erupting in the region, saying Tehran did not want a conflict and that no country had the “illusion it can confront Iran”, the state news agency IRNA reported.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have increased in recent days, raising concerns about a potential U.S.-Iran conflict. Earlier this week the United States pulled some diplomatic staff from its Baghdad embassy following attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf.
“There will be no war because neither do we want a war, nor has anyone the idea or illusion it can confront Iran in the region,” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told IRNA before ending a visit to Beijing.
President Donald Trump has bolstered economic sanctions and built up U.S. military presence in the region, accusing Iran of threats to US troops and interests. Tehran has described those steps as “psychological warfare” and a “political game”.
“The fact is that Trump has officially said and reiterated again that he does not want a war, but people around him are pushing for war on the pretext that they want to make America stronger against Iran,” Zarif said.
He told Reuters last month that Trump could be lured into a conflict by the likes of US national security adviser John Bolton, an ardent Iran hawk.
In a sign of the heightened tension across the region, Exxon Mobil evacuated foreign staff from an oilfield in neighboring Iraq after days of sabre rattling between Washington and Tehran.
Elsewhere in the Gulf, Bahrain warned its citizens against traveling to Iraq or Iran due to “unstable conditions.”
In Washington, officials urged US commercial airliners flying over the waters of the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to exercise caution.
On Friday, Zarif urged China and Russia to take “concrete actions” to safeguard the 2015 nuclear deal as he warned of a “dangerous” situation amid escalating tensions with the US.
“Iran and China need to think together and work together about preserving a multilateral global order and avoiding a unilateral global order,” Zarif said during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Friday evening.
Zarif has called on the international community to save the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.
Iran signed the deal with China, Russia, Germany, Britain, France and the United States. International sanctions were eased in return for curbs on Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Comments