[ad_1]
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (Ayar Raldis / AFP)
On Thursday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused US President Donald Trump of seeking a pretext to launch an attack on his country and promised that Tehran would defend itself despite not seeking war.
In separate statements, a military adviser to the Iranian leader, Ali Khamenei, issued a warning to Trump, advising him “not to turn New Year’s celebrations into mourning for the Americans,” according to “Reuters.”
Zarif said in a tweet on Twitter: “Instead of fighting Covid in the United States, President Donald Trump and his entourage are spending billions to send B-52 fighters and fleets to our region. Information from Iraq indicates a plan to make an excuse for war. “
Yesterday, Wednesday, US forces deployed two B-52 bombers in the Middle East, following the escalation of tensions with Iran and the death of the memory of the assassination of the commander of the Quds Force in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Qassem Soleimani, in the middle of the division of Pentagon officials for the threat posed by the regime. The Iranian and his militia, who are based in Iraq.
In a statement, the US Central Command, which oversees military operations in the region, said the deployment of the bombers was “a clear message of deterrence to anyone seeking to harm Americans or their interests.”
This comes amid ongoing tensions with Iran and Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, as well as fears that Iran may attempt to attack US interests, in memory of the drone strike that killed General Qassem Soleimani, January 3.
The escalation came at a time when Iran was preparing to hold events on the first anniversary of the assassination of the military commander, General Qassem Soleimani, in a US attack in Iraq.
In the tweet, Zarif said: “Iran does not seek war, but will defend, explicitly and directly, its people, its security and its vital interests.”
Hossein Dehghan, Khamenei’s military adviser, said on Twitter: “I saw on the news that the Americans were on alert because of their fear of revenge (for the murder of Soleimani) and they sent two B-52 bombers to fly over the Gulf.”
“All their military bases in the region are within range of our missiles. I advise those expelled from the White House (Trump) not to turn the new year into mourning for the Americans,” Dehghan said.
US President Donald Trump has created uncertainty as he reportedly asked at the mid-November meeting for military options that he could use against Iran. He then threatened Iran following the December 21 attack on the US embassy in Baghdad, which top US officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, attributed to Iraqi militias affiliated with Tehran.
“Our embassy in Baghdad was hit on Sunday by several missiles,” Trump wrote on Twitter aboard Air Force One after a December 23 meeting at the White House on the Iranian threats. “Three missiles missed. Guess where they come from: Iran.”
(Reuters)
[ad_2]
