From the Liveblog of
Thursday, June 27, 2019
Iran FM warns Trump against ‘illusion’ of short war
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleTEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s foreign minister warns US President Donald Trump today that he is mistaken to think a war between their countries would be short, as Washington seeks NATO’s help to build an anti-Tehran coalition.
The tensions between the two were exacerbated earlier this month when Iran shot down a US spy drone over the strategic Persian Gulf after a series of tanker attacks that Washington blamed on Tehran, which denies involvement.
Since then the arch-foes have been locked in a war of words, which escalated this week when Trump announced new sanctions against Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
“‘Short war’ with Iran is an illusion,” Zarif writes on Twitter today, a day after Trump said he does not want a war with Iran but warned that if fighting did break out, it “wouldn’t last very long.”
The Iranian top diplomat adds: “Whoever begins war will not be the one ending it.”
On Wednesday, Trump hinted that any conflict would be waged with air strikes, saying there would be no US boots on the ground.
In an interview on Fox Business Network, Trump was asked if America was going to go to war with Iran.
“Well, I hope we don’t but we’re in a very strong position if something should happen. We’re in a very strong position,” Trump said. “It wouldn’t last very long, I can tell you that. And I’m not talking boots on the ground.”
— AFP
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