Iran Ready For ‘Full-Fledged War’ With U.S. On Heels Of Saudi Arabia Drone Strike Controversy
Iran responded harshly on the heels of being blamed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for a recent drone strike on oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia that ultimately impacted five percent of the global oil supply.
According to USA Today, Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen claimed responsibility for the drone attacks in Saudia Arabia and Iran denied any involvement, Pompeo pointed the blame finger at the country with a bold statement.
“Amid all the calls for de-escalation, Iran has now launched an unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply,” Pompeo said. “We call on all nations to publicly and unequivocally condemn Iran’s attacks.”
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif mocked the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” policy in a tweet that called Pompeo’s accusation “maximum deceit.”
“U.S. & its clients are stuck in Yemen because of illusion that weapon superiority will lead to military victory. Blaming Iran won’t end disaster. Accepting our… proposal to end war & begin talks may,” Zarif tweeted on Sunday.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi echoed the statement, but instead used the phrase “maximum lies,” according to Sky News.
Amir Ali Hajizadeh, a senior commander with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, was quoted as mentioning the fact that U.S. Naval assets and military bases were within the strike range of its missile capabilities.
USA Today reported that the brigadier general said his forces are ready for “full-fledged war,” but stopped short of any mention of the drone strikes that took place on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
“We have been constantly preparing ourselves for a full-fledged war,” Hajizadeh told the Tehran Times.
Saturday’s strikes on the oil facilities led to massive fires and untold damage on Saudi Arabia’s largest processing facility and included a massive oil field. Luckily, no one was injured in the attacks, according to Aramco CEO Amin Nasser. Saudi officials predicted that they would have a third of the disrupted oil supply back online on Monday.
President Donald Trump spoke with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the wake of the attack, pledging U.S. support.
And on Sunday, in a series of tweets, Trump revealed that he gave the green light for officials to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help stabilize any market disruption caused by the drone strikes if needed.
“Based on the attack on Saudi Arabia, which may have an impact on oil prices, I have authorized the release of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, if needed, in a to-be-determined amount… sufficient to keep the markets well-supplied. I have also informed all appropriate agencies to expedite approvals of the oil pipelines currently in the permitting process in Texas and various other States,” Trump tweeted.
