DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) Irans top diplomat said today that any attack on his country over a drone-and-missile strike on Saudi Arabias oil industry will result in all-out war, further pushing up tensions across the Persian Gulf.
The comments by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif represented the starkest warning yet by Iran in a long summer of mysterious attacks and incidents following the collapse of Irans 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, more than a year after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the accord.
Zarifs comments also appeared to be a response to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who a day earlier while traveling to Saudi Arabia referred to Saturdays attack as an act of war.
Asked by CNN what would be the consequence of a U.S. or Saudi strike, Zarif said: All-out war.
It would cause a lot of casualties, he stressed.
I am making a very serious statement that we dont want to engage in a military confrontation, Zarif said. But we wont blink to defend our territory.
He added that any sanctions placed by the U.S. on Iran after pulling out of the nuclear deal would need to be lifted before any negotiations could be considered.
Theyve done whatever they could and they havent been able to bring us to our knees, Zarif said.
Pompeo, who had just arrived to the United Arab Emirates, did not immediately respond. He met earlier in the day with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jiddah about the attack on a crucial oil processing facility and oil field, which cut the kingdoms oil production in half. Yemens Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have claimed the attack, but the U.S. alleges Iran carried out the assault.
The U.S. stands with #SaudiArabia and supports its right to defend itself, Pompeo tweeted. The Iranian regimes threatening behavior will not be tolerated.
Pompeo did not elaborate. Trump has been noncommittal on whether he would order U.S. military retaliation. He said separately Wednesday that he is moving to increase financial sanctions on Tehran over the attack, without elaborating. Iran already is subject to a crushing American sanctions program targeting its crucial oil industry.
Pompeo met Abu Dhabis powerful crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The UAE is a close ally of Saudi Arabia and joined the kingdom in its war with the Houthi rebels in Yemen. The 4-year-old war has killed tens of thousands of people and destroyed much of the country, with millions more driven from their homes and thrown into near starvation.
The UAE said today it had joined a U.S.-led coalition to protect waterways across the Middle East after the attack in Saudi Arabia.
The state-run WAM news agency quoted Salem al-Zaabi of the Emirati Foreign Ministry as saying the UAE joined the coalition to ensure global energy security and the continued flow of energy supplies to the global economy.
Saudi Arabia joined the coalition on Wednesday. Australia, Bahrain and the United Kingdom also are taking part.
Pompeo tweeted his appreciation for the UAE and Saudi Arabia joining the coalition.
