As Trump weighs options, Iranian official warns of 'all-out war' if US or Saudi Arabia attacks
WASHINGTON – Iran’s foreign minister on Thursday warned of “all-out war” if the U.S. or Saudi Arabia attacked Tehran in retaliation for its alleged role in the crippling strikes on Saudi oil facilities last weekend.
"We don’t want war,” Javad Zarif told CNN in an interview that aired Thursday morning. "But we won’t blink to defend our territory."
Zarif's remarks come as the Trump administration weighs a series of options to respond to drone and missile strikes on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure. Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday that Trump's national security team will meet on Friday to discuss the issue.
"We'll be meeting tomorrow to continue to review the facts," Pence said at an unrelated event Thursday. "And the President has basically said, "Let's get to the bottom of what happened'."
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the attack an “act of war” as he traveled to the region on Wednesday.
President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he wants a "peaceful" solution to a standoff with Iran, but is also prepared to invoke military action in the wake of an attack on Saudi oil facilities.
"If we can have a peaceful solution, that's good. It's possible that that won't happen," Trump told Fox & Friends in a Thursday interview broadcast Friday. "But there's never been a stronger country militarily."
Saturday's strikes hit the Abqaiq oil processing plant and a Saudi oil field, where about 5.7 million barrels of oil are produced each day. The attacks disrupted more than 5% of the world's daily supply.
Pompeo slammed Zarif's comments as he wrapped up a series of meetings with leaders in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to discuss a possible response to strikes on Saudi's oil infrastructure.
"I was here in an act of diplomacy while the foreign minister of Iran is threatening all-out war and to fight to the last American," Pompeo told reporters Thursday before leaving the UAE for Washington. "We’re here to build out a coalition aimed at achieving ... a peaceful resolution to this."
Pompeo said it's "abundantly clear" that Iran was behind the attacks on the Saudi oil facilities.
"I’ll be able to give the president some important information about how it is we should think about proceeding," Pompeo said, without offering any details about possible options.
Zarif and other Iranian officials have denied any role in the strikes. The Houthis, an Iranian-backed rebel group which is at war with Saudi Arabia, claimed responsibility for the strikes.
Pompeo on Wednesday called the Houthis' claim "fraudulent." Citing U.S. intelligence information, he said the Houthis do not have the weapons used in Saturday's strikes.
"This is an attack of a scale we’ve just not seen before," Pompeo asserted Wednesday.
Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. will slap new sanctions on Iran, although he did not offer any specifics. Trump has vacillated between red-hot rhetoric suggesting a military response and a softer tone emphasizing his desire to avoid war.
“If we have to do something, we’ll do it without hesitation,” Trump said on Wednesday. “There are many options. There’s the ultimate option.”
Critics said Trump's aggressive sanctions have caused the crisis, and Iran lashes out in response to what it calls "economic warfare." Democrats in Congress warned that a military strike could lead to all-out war that would cost American lives and disrupt major segments of the oil production system. They said Trump should seek congressional authorization before taking any such step.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Iran official warns of 'all-out war' if US or Saudi Arabia attack Iran
