Iran dismisses possibility of conflict, says does not want war

[rooster59]

Iran dismisses possibility of conflict, says does not want war

 

FILE PHOTO: Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif sits for an interview with Reuters in New York, New York, U.S. April 24, 2019. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri/File Photo

 

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's top diplomat dismissed the possibility of war erupting in the region at a time of escalating confrontation with the United States, saying Tehran did not want conflict and no country had the "illusion it can confront Iran".

 

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have increased in recent days, raising concerns about a potential U.S.-Iran conflict. Earlier this week the United States pulled some diplomatic staff from its embassy in neighbouring Iraq following attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf. [nL5N22P089]

 

"There will be no war because neither do we want a war, nor has anyone the idea or illusion it can confront Iran in the region," Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Iran's IRNA state news agency before ending a visit to Beijing.

 

President Donald Trump has tightened economic sanctions against Iran, and his administration says it has built up the U.S. military presence in the region. It accuses Iran of threats to U.S. troops and interests. Tehran has described U.S. moves as "psychological warfare" and a "political game".

 

"The fact is that Trump has officially said and reiterated again that he does not want a war, but people around him are pushing for war on the pretext that they want to make America stronger against Iran," Zarif said.

 

He told Reuters last month that Trump could be lured into a conflict by the likes of U.S. national security adviser John Bolton, an ardent Iran hawk. [nL1N2261RV]

 

In Tehran, Major General Hossein Salami, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, said on Saturday that Iran had nothing to fear from the United States, which he said was in decline, the semi-official news agency ISNA reported.

 

"The U.S. political system is full of cracks. Though impressive-looking, it has osteoporosis. In fact, America's story is like the World Trade Center towers that collapse with a sudden blow," Salami, known for his fiery rhetoric, was quoted as saying. He was referring to the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

 

Trump has said publicly he wants to pursue a diplomatic route with Iran after ratcheting pressure on Tehran.

 

President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday Iran would not be bullied into negotiating, IRNA reported.

 

"The (U.S.) claim that it is forcing us to the negotiating table is worthless... We are for logic, negotiation and dialogue ...but we will never surrender to anyone who intends to bully us," Rouhani was quoted as saying.

 

A year ago Trump pulled the United States out of a 2015 pact that limited Iran's nuclear programme in return for the lifting of international sanctions. Iran has continued to abide by the terms of the pact, although Rouhani said this month it would scale back some curbs on nuclear activity.

 

REGIONAL TENSIONS

 

In a sign of the heightened tension across the region, Exxon Mobil <XOM.N> evacuated foreign staff from an oilfield in neighbouring Iraq after days of sabre rattling between Washington and Tehran.[nL5N22U084]

 

Elsewhere in the Gulf, Bahrain warned its citizens against travelling to Iraq or Iran due to "unstable conditions".

 

In Washington, officials urged U.S. commercial airliners flying over the waters of the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to exercise caution. [nL5N22U04T]

 

A Norwegian insurers' report seen by Reuters said Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards were "highly likely" to have facilitated the attacks last Sunday on four tankers including two Saudi ships off Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. [nL5N22S6L6]

 

Iranian officials have denied involvement in the tanker attacks, saying Tehran's enemies carried them out to lay the groundwork for war against Iran.

 

U.S. officials are concerned that Tehran may have passed naval combat expertise onto proxy forces in the region. [nL5N22T1C5]

 

Following the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions, a senior Iranian maritime official said Iran had adopted new tactics and new destinations in shipping its oil exports. [nL5N22U07V]

 

Iranian crude oil exports have fallen in May to 500,000 barrels per day or lower, according to tanker data and industry sources, after the United States tightened the screws on Iran's main source of income. [nL5N22S6M6]

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-05-19

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[Tug]

Hopefully that will be the case no war probably trust the Iranians more than Donald in this matter

[helpisgood]

54 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

He told Reuters last month that Trump could be lured into a conflict by the likes of U.S. national security adviser John Bolton, an ardent Iran hawk.

 

That's worth noting.

 

However, I wonder how much Jared Kusher's friendship and deals with MbS mixes into how events are now developing.  They are not two people who I'd choose as stewards of peace in the region with the world's welfare at the top of their respective agendas in the region.  Also, we know of the rivalry between Iran and the Saudis.  Trump's seems to have given his son-in-law a lot of responsibilities, at least as it appears on the surface.  It is, after all, a family business.

[Lungstib]

Ex President Jimmy Carter has only just admitted what many in the world already knew, endless war has cost America its leadership in many fields due to excessive financial waste. Trump and Bolton, in their urge to make a name for themselves, now want to push the US further behind with another catastrophic Middle East exercise. They just dont listen or learn do they?

[rabas]

46 minutes ago, Lungstib said:

Ex President Jimmy Carter has only just admitted what many in the world already knew, endless war has cost America its leadership in many fields due to excessive financial waste. Trump and Bolton, in their urge to make a name for themselves, now want to push the US further behind with another catastrophic Middle East exercise. They just dont listen or learn do they?

Travestic waste of money spent for things like rockets, satellites, GPS, navigation, aviation, radar, the internet (Arpanet), digital imaging, an infinite amount of computer stuff, epipen, and duct tape. Anything in that list that helped the US economy? Jimmy didn't know a lot about technology the economy or a lot of things.  The day after he left office, Reagan got Iran to release our Embassy hostages on his first day in office.

[puck2]

3 hours ago, rabas said:

<----> Jimmy [Carter] didn't know a lot about technology the economy or a lot of things.  The day after he left office, Reagan got Iran to release our Embassy hostages on his first day in office.

I guess you have been a member of the so-called Trump-University. That's the reason you are able to write a "new" history.

 

But the official history books tell us the related story „a little bit different“. And that's a daily experience, inventing new Hi-Stories by the Orange Face and his blind REP-followers.

 

From:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran–Contra_affair

 

 

<..... A common narrative of the Iran-Contra affair has the US-sponsored arms sales to Iran beginning in the year 1985. That date is important to the official justifications of the Reagan administration because the government claimed that the secret arms shipments were in exchange for Iranian cooperation with the release of hostages held in Lebanon by Hezbollah, where the first hostage was taken in 1982. But if an agreement to send secret arms shipments to Iran, and the fact of those shipments, both began before 1982, then the release of the hostages cannot be the reason for the arms shipments......>

 

POTUS Reagan started on January 20, 1981.

[Lungstib]

5 hours ago, rabas said:

Travestic waste of money spent for things like rockets, satellites, GPS, navigation, aviation, radar, the internet (Arpanet), digital imaging, an infinite amount of computer stuff, epipen, and duct tape. Anything in that list that helped the US economy?

The vast amount of US spending has been on things that blew up and took foreign lives and infrastructure with it. Who cares that people went without bridges, roads, hi-speed trains, universities, hospitals, airport facilities and child care, that the US fell from being no 1 in anything but war?

[rabas]

23 minutes ago, Lungstib said:

The vast amount of US spending has been on things that blew up and took foreign lives and infrastructure with it. Who cares that people went without bridges, roads, hi-speed trains, universities, hospitals, airport facilities and child care, that the US fell from being no 1 in anything but war?

US health care alone is now approaching 4 trillion dollars in 2019. Do you know how big the entire US federal budget is?

[Morty T]

5 hours ago, puck2 said:

I guess you have been a member of the so-called Trump-University. That's the reason you are able to write a "new" history.

 

But the official history books tell us the related story „a little bit different“. And that's a daily experience, inventing new Hi-Stories by the Orange Face and his blind REP-followers.

 

From:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran–Contra_affair

 

 

<..... A common narrative of the Iran-Contra affair has the US-sponsored arms sales to Iran beginning in the year 1985. That date is important to the official justifications of the Reagan administration because the government claimed that the secret arms shipments were in exchange for Iranian cooperation with the release of hostages held in Lebanon by Hezbollah, where the first hostage was taken in 1982. But if an agreement to send secret arms shipments to Iran, and the fact of those shipments, both began before 1982, then the release of the hostages cannot be the reason for the arms shipments......>

 

POTUS Reagan started on January 20, 1981.

Ok, you loathe Trump, but at least get your dates and figures correct. The Embassy hostages were released after Reagan became president, the Hezbolla story didn't begin until 2 years after. 

[billd766]

9 hours ago, rabas said:

Travestic waste of money spent for things like rockets, satellites, GPS, navigation, aviation, radar, the internet (Arpanet), digital imaging, an infinite amount of computer stuff, epipen, and duct tape. Anything in that list that helped the US economy? Jimmy didn't know a lot about technology the economy or a lot of things.  The day after he left office, Reagan got Iran to release our Embassy hostages on his first day in office.

 

The day after he left office, Reagan got Iran to release our Embassy hostages on his first day in office.

 

Do you think Reagan achieved that all on his first day in office?

[nausea]

Who would win? The Iranians could take a massive amount of casualties. As they proved during the Iran/ Iraq war. If you're scared about losing one or two guyz ... ?

 

[otherstuff1957]

The Iranians had steadfastly refused to release the hostages while Carter was president.  They publicly stated that they viewed Reagan as less of a threat to them.  This viewpoint was validated when Reagan, through Olly North and McFarland, secretly sold them missiles and aircraft parts during the Iran-Contra affair.

[rabas]

34 minutes ago, billd766 said:

The day after he left office, Reagan got Iran to release our Embassy hostages on his first day in office.

 

Do you think Reagan achieved that all on his first day in office?

The fact the hostages were released exactly 20 minutes after Reagan was sworn in does not bode well for theories claiming his presidency did not influence the release. The final series of negotiations that lead to the release began 6 days after Reagan's election on November 10. Of course, Reagan did not negotiate the deal. But pressure from Reagan's impending presidency put noses to the grindstone and both sides were desperate for a solution. It's not that Carter had not tried, he even attempted a rescue in the first year.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_Iranian_hostage_crisis
 

[The Theory]

He arrived by a VIP Air France flight.

It was set by US, UK and France governments at the time. 

All negotiations placed at Nofel Loshato, France. 

If you google, you will find lots of information. 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/10/ayatollah-khomeini-jimmy-carter-administration-iran-revolution

 

 

And if US start the war there will be no need to engage, the people of Iran will find an opportunity to bring the system down. The Iranian government is aware of this. No wonder they do not want to go through any war, because they will lose the control of people. 

 

 

 

 

[pegman]

That's a good poodle.

 

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1129203/iran-news-uk-special-forces-us-strike-group-persian-gulf-ww3

[Morch]

9 minutes ago, pegman said:

That's a good poodle.

 

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1129203/iran-news-uk-special-forces-us-strike-group-persian-gulf-ww3 

 

Did you actually read the article linked? There's already quite a bit of UK military presence in the region. Do you imagine sending a few more dramatically changes things?

[billd766]

From the BBC news website this morning.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48329852

 

US President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to Iran, suggesting it will be destroyed if a conflict breaks out between the two countries.

"If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran," he said in a tweet on Sunday. "Never threaten the United States again!"

 

As far as I can see Iran didn't threaten the USA until after the USA  ramped up the problem.

 

Sure the USA can wipe out Iran but to do that they will need to kill everyman, woman, child and bay in the country and most of the Iranians living outside Iran.

[Morch]

4 minutes ago, billd766 said:

From the BBC news website this morning.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48329852

 

US President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to Iran, suggesting it will be destroyed if a conflict breaks out between the two countries.

"If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran," he said in a tweet on Sunday. "Never threaten the United States again!"

 

As far as I can see Iran didn't threaten the USA until after the USA  ramped up the problem.

 

Sure the USA can wipe out Iran but to do that they will need to kill everyman, woman, child and bay in the country and most of the Iranians living outside Iran.

 

Guess you missed this other piece of news:

 

Rocket attack near U.S. embassy in Baghdad

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/19/rocket-attack-iraq-baghdad-1333063

 

And obviously, not much criticism or concern in evidence with regard to Iranian confrontational statements.

[billd766]

12 hours ago, Morch said:

 

Guess you missed this other piece of news:

 

Rocket attack near U.S. embassy in Baghdad

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/19/rocket-attack-iraq-baghdad-1333063

 

And obviously, not much criticism or concern in evidence with regard to Iranian confrontational statements.

No, I didn't miss that but if I had included links and quotes from many sources my posts would take hours to write and then be ignored by the posters on TVF.

 

However since you asked I have quoted from that link.

 

"The apparent attack, which Iraq’s state-run news agency said did not cause any casualties, came amid heightened tensions across the Persian Gulf, after the White House ordered warships and bombers to the region earlier this month to counter an alleged, unexplained threat from Iran. The U.S. also has ordered nonessential staff out of its diplomatic posts in Iraq.

 

It was the first such attack since September, when three mortar shells landed in an abandoned lot inside the Green Zone.

 

*Edited for Fair Use*

 

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the although I have no doubt the speculators will try to pin the blame on Iran, as they have tried to blame the attacks on the oil tankers at Fujairah on Iran as well.

 

There are many nations in the Middle East who would welcome I ran getting the blame. Israel, Saudi Arabia and Syria to name the first three that came to my head.

[simple1]

10 hours ago, billd766 said:

No, I didn't miss that but if I had included links and quotes from many sources my posts would take hours to write and then be ignored by the posters on TVF.

 

However since you asked I have quoted from that link.

 

"The apparent attack, which Iraq’s state-run news agency said did not cause any casualties, came amid heightened tensions across the Persian Gulf, after the White House ordered warships and bombers to the region earlier this month to counter an alleged, unexplained threat from Iran. The U.S. also has ordered nonessential staff out of its diplomatic posts in Iraq.

 

It was the first such attack since September, when three mortar shells landed in an abandoned lot inside the Green Zone.

 

 

Nobody has claimed responsibility for the although I have no doubt the speculators will try to pin the blame on Iran, as they have tried to blame the attacks on the oil tankers at Fujairah on Iran as well.

 

There are many nations in the Middle East who would welcome I ran getting the blame. Israel, Saudi Arabia and Syria to name the first three that came to my head.

Quote from your link below which sounds very plausible, though there would be debate on whether Iran authorised the attack. IMO trump is doing his usual fog horn diplomacy. If he carries on with his unsubtle approach I suspect one day he will receive a very nasty bite.

 

Iraqi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasoul told The Associated Press that a Katyusha rocket fell near the statue of the Unknown Soldier, less than a mile from the U.S. Embassy. He said the military is investigating the cause but that the rocket was believed to have been fired from east Baghdad. The area is home to Iran-backed Shiite militias.

Shortly afterward the rocket launcher was discovered by security forces in the eastern neighborhood of Wihda, according to a security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. 

[Morch]

*Edited post removed*

 

Sorry, but that's one lame excuse. Adding a couple of lines for a link wouldn't effect your post. On the other hand, intentionally not referencing it is maybe a different case.

 

And sure, one could always allege black flags ops and whatnot. Doesn't quite serve to ignore Iran still being the leading candidate - whether directly or not.

 

I'm not a fan of Trump's rhetoric or his inconsistent statements and turnabouts. That said, sometimes a bit of context is called for when bashing.

[billd766]

3 hours ago, simple1 said:

Quote from your link below which sounds very plausible, though there would be debate on whether Iran authorised the attack. IMO trump is doing his usual fog horn diplomacy. If he carries on with his unsubtle approach I suspect one day he will receive a very nasty bite.

 

Iraqi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasoul told The Associated Press that a Katyusha rocket fell near the statue of the Unknown Soldier, less than a mile from the U.S. Embassy. He said the military is investigating the cause but that the rocket was believed to have been fired from east Baghdad. The area is home to Iran-backed Shiite militias.

Shortly afterward the rocket launcher was discovered by security forces in the eastern neighborhood of Wihda, according to a security official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. 

They found the rocket launcher in the neighbourhood of the Iran-backed Shiite militias.

 

Now if I as a Brit for example wanted to stir up trouble in Bagdad,  I am sure that for a sum of money a rocket launcher could be bought, used once and thrown away. 

 

Any of the militias, armies and countries in the area could do that. I of course am the wrong shape, colour etc to do it myself, I could probably hire someone to do it for me through a couple of men who know other men etc.

 

They of course could do the same.

 

There are even US forces in Iraq as well.

 

IMHO the Iranians would not be that stupid but you never know nowadays.

[Morch]

3 minutes ago, billd766 said:

They found the rocket launcher in the neighbourhood of the Iran-backed Shiite militias.

 

Now if I as a Brit for example wanted to stir up trouble in Bagdad,  I am sure that for a sum of money a rocket launcher could be bought, used once and thrown away. 

 

Any of the militias, armies and countries in the area could do that. I of course am the wrong shape, colour etc to do it myself, I could probably hire someone to do it for me through a couple of men who know other men etc.

 

They of course could do the same.

 

There are even US forces in Iraq as well.

 

IMHO the Iranians would not be that stupid but you never know nowadays.

 

I doubt it is anywhere near as easy to pull off as alleged. May want to look up a video of such rocket being launched. Not very subtle. But hey...why go for obvious suspects when one can speculate at length on it being a false flag op.

 

The Iranians (or their proxies) have a history of doing "stupid" stuff like that. They have their own factions, hardliners, warmongers. They are also capable of miscalculations and mistakes.

 

 

[Scott]

A post has been edited for Fair Use.   YOU CAN ONLY QUOTE THE HEADLINE AND 3 SENTENCES.  

 

Continued violations of Fair Use will get the entire post removed.   The same for those quoting the post.