Iranian FM Dismisses War Talk, Rejects Diplomatic Engagement with US

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismissed the possibility of war breaking out with the United States, while reiterating Tehran’s stance against renegotiating the 2015 nuclear deal. Zarif contended that no nation was under the “illusion it can confront Iran,” even as Washington continued to build up military forces in the Middle East. The Pentagon has already deployed an aircraft carrier, B-52 bombers and additional Patriot anti-missile defense systems to the Gulf and, according to Arab media, received permission from Saudi Arabia to station troops on the kingdom’s soil. Despite the growing tensions, US President Donald Trump has voiced opposition to the “military option” and instead reportedly prefers to allow US economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic to take their toll. To this end, industry insiders estimate that Tehran’s oil exports have fallen under 500,000 barrels per day (down from about 1 million bpd in April and 2.5 million bpd in early 2018) since the White House ended a waiver program last month that had permitted eight countries to purchase Iranian crude. In response, the mullahs lifted caps on the production of enriched uranium and heavy water, and are applying pressure on other parties to the nuclear pact – namely, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China (Zarif visited Beijing over the weekend) – to take measures to offset the effects of US financial penalties. Otherwise, the Iranian regime has threatened to follow Trump’s example by completely abandoning the accord.