TEHRAN – Iran’s foreign minister has said a military strike on Iran wouldtrigger “all-out war”, as the United States and its Gulf allies accuse Iranof being behind attacks on Saudi oil facilities.
Asked about the consequence of “an American or Saudi military strike onIran” in an interview with* CNN* aired on Thursday, Mohammad Javad Zarifresponded: “An all-out war.”
“We don’t want war, we don’t want to engage in a military confrontation,”he said, warning it would lead to “a lot of casualties”.
“But we won’t blink to defend our territory,” he added.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility forSaturday’s strikes on Saudi oil infrastructures, but the United States saysit has concluded the attack involved cruise missiles from Iran and amountsto “an act of war”.
Saudi Arabia, which has been bogged down in a five-year war in neighbouringYemen, has said Iran “unquestionably sponsored” the attacks and the weaponsused in them were Iranian-made, but has not directly blamed its regionalrival.
“They’re making that up,” said Zarif.
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“Now they want to pin the blame on Iran, in order to achieve something, andthat is why I’m saying this is agitation for war.”
“Because it’s based on lies, it’s based on deception,” he said.
The attacks on Saudi energy giant Aramco’s Abqaiq processing plant andKhurais oilfield halved the kingdom’s oil output.
Iran has repeatedly denied US and Saudi accusations that it arms theHouthis. -APP/AFP
