TEHRAN, Mar 10 : A top Iranian official has warned that the Islamic Republic is prepared to endure a long-term war with the US, and refusing diplomacy further signalled that Tehran is more than willing to continue attacking Gulf countries in an effort to pressure US President Donald Trump to step back from the conflict.
The warning was given by top Iranian official Kamal Kharazi, foreign policy advisor to the office of the Supreme Leader, and aide to the now deceased Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Ruling out diplomacy for now, Kharazi said the war would only end through economic pain – signalling a hardening of the government’s stance as the war is about to cross its second week.
“I don’t see any room for diplomacy anymore. Because Donald Trump had been deceiving others and not keeping with his promises, and we experienced this in two times of negotiations – that while we were engaged in negotiation, they struck us,” Kharazi told CNN.
“There’s no room unless the economic pressure would be built up to the extent that other countries would intervene to guarantee (the) termination of aggression of Americans and Israelis against Iran,” Kharazi said, signalling that international pressure was needed to halt the war.
“This war has been producing a lot of pressure – economic pressure – on others, in terms of inflation, in terms of lack of energy, and so if it will be continued, this pressure will be built up more, and therefore others have no choice (but) to intervene,” he said.
Since the US and Israel launched the war, Iran has struck a slew of countries across the region, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, etc. While Tehran claims to solely be attacking US’ military installations in these countries, residential buildings, tourist spots, and airports have also been repeatedly coming under attack.
A section of hardline Iranians have also put some blame on Gulf nations for hosting American installations in their territory, faulting them for using their territory for hosting enemy facilities, and calling them equally guilty for the war in the region.
The Iranian strikes have further underscored the fragility of the global energy trade, including infrastructure and transit routes, through their blockade of the vital maritime corridor, the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic has all but collapsed, leading to massive inflation in the energy market with crude oil prices soaring past $100 a barrel, hammering the stock market.
An estimated 20% of world oil supply has been disrupted by the ongoing conflict, which is roughly two times bigger than the record set during the Suez Crisis of 1956-1957, according to historical data from Rapidan Energy Group.
Asked if the Iranian military and the supreme leadership are on the same page going forward, Kharazi said “Yes, exactly,” as Mojtaba Khamenei took over reigns of the Islamic Republic’s new supreme leader, following the death of his father.
“The responsibility of the leader of Islamic Republic of Iran is to lead the defence capability of Iran, and therefore, as Ayatollah Khamenei was doing that, now the new leader would do that,” he said.
Trump said last week that Khamenei’s appointment as his father’s successor would be “unacceptable” to him, though Tehran has dismissed his statement, with Kharazi stating, “That is not his business,” as Iran had already dismissed any possibility of Washington having any say in the appointment of a new supreme leader.
Not only has the war derailed the flow of oil out of the region, it has also effectively wiped out the “spare capacity” that typically serves as a shock absorber in energy markets. Spare capacity measures how much more oil production could quickly get brought back online, if needed.
As per a spokesperson for Iran’s powerful theocratic guard, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran is using 60% of its firepower to attack US bases and “strategic interests” in the region.
(UNI)
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