Iran diplomat warns of ‘all-out war’ if hit for Saudi oilfield attack

The comments by Mohammad Javad Zarif represent the starkest warning yet in a long summer of mysterious attacks and incidents

It comes over a year since US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from a nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and major world powers

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Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. Photo: Reuters

Published: 8:19pm, 19 Sep 2019Updated: 8:19pm, 19 Sep 2019

Iran’s foreign minister warned on Thursday that any attack on his country over a drone-and-missile strike on Saudi Arabia’s oil industry will result in “all-out war,” further pushing up tensions across the Persian Gulf.

The comments by Mohammad Javad Zarif represent the starkest warning offered yet by Iran in a long summer of mysterious attacks and incidents following the collapse of Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, over a year after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord.

Zarif’s comments also appeared to be in response to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who a day earlier while travelling to Saudi Arabia referred to the attack as an “act of war”.

Asked by CNN what would be the consequence of a US or Saudi strike, Zarif said: “All-out war.”

“We won’t blink to defend our territory,” he said.

Pompeo wrote a tweet early on Thursday after his meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah over Saturday’s attack on a crucial oil processing facility and oilfield. Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have claimed the attack, but the US alleges Iran carried out the assault.