Any attack by the United States or Saudi Arabia on Iran will lead to an “all-out war”, Tehran warned on Thursday.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif put forward the statements as tensions in the Gulf continue to rise after the recent attacks on Saudi Oil facilities, halted the production of about five percent of the Global oil supply.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels accepted the responsibility for Saturday’s strikes on Saudi’s oil facilities, but the United States claimed the attack involved cruise missiles from Iran and considered as “an act of war”.
The US has said its military is “locked and loaded” to retaliate against the perpetrators.
“We don’t want war, we don’t want to engage in a military confrontation,” Zarif told CNN on Thursday, noting it would lead to “a lot of casualties”.
“But we won’t blink to defend our territory,” he warned.
The drone strikes on plants in the center of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry impacted the world’s biggest petroleum-refining facility as well as a nearby oil field, both of which are operated by energy giant Aramco.
Together both, field and refinery account for about 50% of Saudi Arabia’s oil production and 5% of daily global oil production. It could take months before the facilities come back to normal operations.
The US has announced on Friday it would send additional troops to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in response to the strike on Saudi oil fields, which it has blamed on Iran.