Washington: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has declared “there will not be a war with the United States” despite posturing from both sides, while stressing that Tehran will not re-negotiate the nuclear deal with Washington.
In a speech on national television on Tuesday night, Tehran time, Khamenei appeared to try to tone down the rhetoric emanating from the US as well as from Iran itself. It followed a tweet by one of President Hassan Rouhani’s advisers who told US President Donald Trump, “You wanted a better deal with Iran. Looks like you are going to get a war instead.”
American officials have revealed the Trump administration is considering a range of options for using military force against Iran. They said lawmakers from both the Democrat and Republican parties complained that the White House has not fully briefed them on the escalating tensions.
Top advisers to Trump met at the White House late last week to consider possible steps, including military action, as officials spoke of “credible threats” to US personnel by Iran or Iranian proxy forces. The Pentagon has already moved an aircraft carrier, strategic bombers and other military assets to reinforce US forces across the Middle East.
Officials said the options include increasing the number of troops in the region from between 60,000 and 80,000 to more than 100,000 in the most dramatic scenario were Iran to attack US interests or make clear moves to develop a nuclear weapon.
Read the article by Missy Ryan, John Hudson and Karoun Demirjian in The Sydney Morning Herald (from The Washington Post, The New York Times, agencies)