- Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Monday issued a vague warning to the US it can’t “expect to stay safe” as the Trump administration continues to hit Tehran with economic sanctions.
- This came amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran that have led to discussions of a military confrontation or even an all-out war.
- Zarif said the only way to deescalate the situation is for President Donald Trump to end his “economic war” against Iran.
- Zarif added, “Whoever starts a war with us will not be the one who finishes it.”
Iran’s top diplomat on Monday blasted President Donald Trump for waging what he described as “economic war” against Tehran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said the US “cannot expect to stay safe” as the Trump administration continues to hammer Iran’s economy with harsh sanctions amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran that have led to fears of war, The Associated Press reported.
Speaking during a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, the Iranian diplomat said, “Mr. Trump himself has announced that the US has launched an economic war against Iran. The only solution for reducing tensions in this region is stopping that economic war.”
Zarif added, “Whoever starts a war with us will not be the one who finishes it.”
These are uncharacteristic remarks from Zarif, who tends to take a more amiable tone than hardliners in the Iranian government. Zarif, who was educated in the US, played an instrumental role in the negotations with the Obama administration surrounding the Iran nuclear deal in 2015.
Read the article by John Haltiwanger on Business Insider Australia.