JAKARTA - Iranian officials said they ruled out diplomacy and Tehran was ready for a protracted war with Washington as it continued to attack Gulf states to pressure them to push US President Donald Trump to withdraw from the conflict.
The statement was made by Kamal Kharazi, foreign policy adviser in the office of the supreme leader of Iran, in an interview with CNN, Monday night (9/3), local time, reported by ANTARA from Anadolu.
Kharazi warned that diplomacy is not an option at the moment and the war can only end if economic pressure encourages other countries to intervene.
"I don't see any room for diplomacy anymore, because Donald Trump has cheated the other side and failed to keep his promises, and we experienced that in two rounds of negotiations; while we were engaged in negotiations, they attacked us," said Kharazi.
He said there was no room, unless the economic pressure was increased in such a way, that other countries would step in to guarantee the cessation of American and Israeli aggression against Iran.
Kharazipun suggested that the Gulf Arab countries and other parties should pressure Washington to end the conflict.
"This war has put a lot of pressure, economic pressure, on the other side, in terms of inflation and energy shortages; and if this continues, then that pressure will increase so that the other side has no choice but to intervene," he said.
When asked if the military and Iran's leadership remained united, Kharazi replied they remained solid.
"The responsibility of the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran is to lead Iran's defense capabilities and as Ayatollah Khamenei did, now the new leader will also do it," he said.
The interview comes as regional escalation has increased since Israel and the US launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28.
The attack killed more than 1,200 people, including supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran then retaliated with a missile attack targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, as well as the Gulf countries that are home to US military assets.
Iran has also effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway linking the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea.
The Strait of Hormuz handles about 20 million barrels of oil shipments per day and about 20 percent of global liquefied natural gas trade, much of which goes to Asian markets.
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