- Click to share on Facebook (Opens in a new window)
- Click to share on Twitter (Opens in a new window)
- Click here to share on LinkedIn (Opens in a new window)
- Click to email a friend (Opens in a new window)
(CNN) - Iran's Foreign Minister raised the possibility of a "total war" that would have to be fought "until the last US soldier" in case of attacks by the United States or Saudi Arabia.
In an exclusive interview with Nick Paton Walsh of CNN, Javad Zarif said Iran hoped to avoid the conflict, adding that the country was willing to talk to its regional rivals, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. However, a return to negotiations with the United States will not happen unless Washington provides total relief from the sanctions, as promised by the 2015 nuclear agreement, said Tehran's top diplomat.
- This compares the military might of the US, Iran and Saudi Arabia
Zarif again denied Tehran's participation in the weekend's attacks against Saudi oil facilities, which dramatically increased tensions in the region this week. Zarif said the Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi rebels, who claimed responsibility for the attack, have increased their military capabilities and are able to carry out a sophisticated operation like the one that disrupted half of the kingdom's oil production.
However, Zarif was unable to provide evidence that the Houthis launched the drones and missiles.
"I can't be sure they did it because we just heard their statement," said Zarif. “I know we didn't do it. I know that the Houthis made a statement that they did. ”
US and Saudi officials have repeatedly dismissed the Houthi's claims of responsibility in the weekend's attacks. Instead, they have highlighted Iran's alleged involvement in the incident.
At a press conference on Wednesday, the spokesman for the Ministry of Defense of Saudi Arabia, Turki al-Malki, said it was found that the weapons that did not reach their targets were Iranian-made. He also said the investigations revealed that drones and missiles were probably launched from the north of the kingdom, and not from the direction of Yemen, which is located southwest of the country.
The drums of war have begun to sound louder since the attack. The president of the United States, Donald Trump, has asked Pentagon officials to plan possible responses. Trump tweeted that the United States was "loaded and secure," but that he was waiting for the rulers of Saudi Arabia to decide the way forward.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was the first official to identify Iran as responsible for the attack, is in the Persian Gulf visiting Saudi and Arab Emirates leaders.
When asked what the consequence of a US or Saudi military attack against Iran would be, Zarif said: "Total war."
“I make a very serious statement about the defense of our country. I am making a very serious statement that we do not want to participate in a military confrontation, ”said Zarif. He added that a military response based on "deception" over the weekend's attacks would be the cause of "many casualties."
"But we will not blink to defend our territory," he said.
