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Iranian officials accused "hardliners" in the United States and elsewhere of attempting to orchestrate an incident that would ratchet up tensions with the Islamic Republic, as the supreme leader vowed there would be no war.
The allegation by Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday came as tensions in the Gulf continue to rise as American military forces head to the region and amid a series of attacks on oil infrastructure.
Four ships - two Saudi, one Norwegian and one Emirati - were damaged on Sunday off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in what Emirati officials described as acts of sabotage near the port of Fujairah.
The incident happened 140km south of the Strait of Hormuz, where about one-third of all oil traded by sea passes through.
"We ... talked about the policies that hardliners in the US administration as well as in the region are attempting to impose," Zarif told Iranian state TV in India after a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj.
"We raised concerns over the suspicious activities and sabotage that are happening in our region. We had formerly anticipated that they would carry out these sorts of activities to escalate tension."
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday there would be no war with the US despite mounting concerns. He also reiterated Iran would not negotiate with the US on a new nuclear deal.
"There won't be any war. The Iranian nation has chosen the path of resistance," he said. "Neither we nor them seek war. They know it will not be in their interest."
Norwegian-flagged oil tanker MT Andrea Victory off the coast of Fujairah [UAE National Media Council via AP]
Details of the alleged oil vessel sabotage remained unclear, and UAE officials have declined to say who they suspected was responsible.
Mohammad Javad Jamali, an Iranian member of parliament, accused unidentified countries in the region of trying "to drag Trump into a war".
"I think the talk of explosions in Fujairah is just a hasty scenario and it suffers many shortcomings. Whoever stands behind this is pushing for a failed plan," said Jamali.
Fatemeh Aman, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center, said the attacks on the vessels may have been planned as a pretext to start a conflict with Tehran.
"The attack on the ships was predictable and it looks like it was orchestrated to function as a pretext to attack Iran," Aman told Al Jazeera. "Any incident or sabotage could be falsely attributed to Iran, even if Iran had no involvement."
Arch foes Saudi Arabia and Iran have both used proxy forces in the region to further their aspirations.
Asked by Al Jazeera if Riyadh may be attempting to push the US towards war with Iran, analyst Tim Constantine said: "Considering the Saudi position on Iran and the well-known position of the Trump administration on Iran, yes I think the Saudis can be counted on to stir the pot and encourage a very aggressive stance by the United States."
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019...hestrated-spark-conflict-190514155502867.html
The allegation by Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday came as tensions in the Gulf continue to rise as American military forces head to the region and amid a series of attacks on oil infrastructure.
Four ships - two Saudi, one Norwegian and one Emirati - were damaged on Sunday off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in what Emirati officials described as acts of sabotage near the port of Fujairah.
The incident happened 140km south of the Strait of Hormuz, where about one-third of all oil traded by sea passes through.
"We ... talked about the policies that hardliners in the US administration as well as in the region are attempting to impose," Zarif told Iranian state TV in India after a bilateral meeting with Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj.
"We raised concerns over the suspicious activities and sabotage that are happening in our region. We had formerly anticipated that they would carry out these sorts of activities to escalate tension."
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday there would be no war with the US despite mounting concerns. He also reiterated Iran would not negotiate with the US on a new nuclear deal.
"There won't be any war. The Iranian nation has chosen the path of resistance," he said. "Neither we nor them seek war. They know it will not be in their interest."
Norwegian-flagged oil tanker MT Andrea Victory off the coast of Fujairah [UAE National Media Council via AP]
Details of the alleged oil vessel sabotage remained unclear, and UAE officials have declined to say who they suspected was responsible.
Mohammad Javad Jamali, an Iranian member of parliament, accused unidentified countries in the region of trying "to drag Trump into a war".
"I think the talk of explosions in Fujairah is just a hasty scenario and it suffers many shortcomings. Whoever stands behind this is pushing for a failed plan," said Jamali.
Fatemeh Aman, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center, said the attacks on the vessels may have been planned as a pretext to start a conflict with Tehran.
"The attack on the ships was predictable and it looks like it was orchestrated to function as a pretext to attack Iran," Aman told Al Jazeera. "Any incident or sabotage could be falsely attributed to Iran, even if Iran had no involvement."
Arch foes Saudi Arabia and Iran have both used proxy forces in the region to further their aspirations.
Asked by Al Jazeera if Riyadh may be attempting to push the US towards war with Iran, analyst Tim Constantine said: "Considering the Saudi position on Iran and the well-known position of the Trump administration on Iran, yes I think the Saudis can be counted on to stir the pot and encourage a very aggressive stance by the United States."
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019...hestrated-spark-conflict-190514155502867.html
So yes Americans want peace but whole peace no not that.
