Iranian Foreign Ministry protested Washington in connection with a statement by US President Donald Trump about the readiness of the US Navy in case of need to attack Iranian ships. This was announced by the official representative of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Abbas Mousavi.
Tehran pointed out the need to comply with international safety and freedom of navigation rules by all parties and promised "to proportionally respond to any threats and illegal actions in the Persian and Oman Gulfs."
“The Islamic Republic of Iran condemns the threats and provocative remarks made yesterday by US President Trump, and recommends that he abandon his adventurism and search for the guilty and use his navy in his country to help contain and control the spread of coronavirus that has swept the region and the whole world” , - declared in the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump said that he had ordered the Navy to destroy Iranian warships if they would pursue American ships.
- The official representative of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Abbas Mousavi
- AFP
- © Atta Kenare
“I have instructed the Navy to destroy any Iranian military boats that obstruct American ships at sea,” the politician wrote on Twitter.
The reason for this statement was the press service of the Fifth Fleet of the United States Navy, based in Bahrain, according to which the military boats of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) made dangerous maneuvers near the American military ships in the Persian Gulf.
Commenting on the threat posed by the head of the White House, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif recalled that the number of American troops infected with coronavirus exceeds 5 thousand people.
The US military is hit by over 5000 # covid19 infections. @realdonaldtrump should attend to their needs, not engage in threats cheered on by Saddam's terrorists.
Also, US forces have no business 7,000 miles away from home, provoking our sailors off our OWN Persian Gulf shores. pic.twitter.com/7CjzabkyVK
“President Trump should pay attention to their needs, and not make threats under the cheers of the terrorists of Saddam. By the way, the American forces have nothing to do 7,000 miles from the house, where they provoke our sailors off our coast, ”Zarif wrote.
In turn, the commander of the IRGC, Hossein Salami, said that the Iranian military could shell American ships if they would threaten the security of military or civilian vessels.
Oil and space
Note that after the exchange of threats between Washington and Tehran, there was an increase in oil prices. So, on April 23, the price of black gold futures increased by 4-5%.
The collapse of oil prices previously put the American oil industry at risk. US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo said that the authorities and personally Donald Trump are doing everything possible to stabilize the situation and preserve America’s potential in the field of energy production.
Experts do not exclude that Trump's verbal attack on Iran could be part of these efforts, especially when you consider that a whole week has passed from the statement of the Fifth Fleet command about Iranian maneuvers.
- US President Donald Trump
- Reuters
- © Jonathan Ernst
“This is quite possible, it was discussed in expert circles. True, even if this is so, I don’t think that Trump will act in this direction for the further increase in oil prices, ”political analyst Alexander Asafov said in an interview with RT.
It should be noted that simultaneously with these events, Iran launched its first successful launch of its own military satellite. It was launched into a 425-kilometer orbit with the help of a three-stage carrier rocket “Cased”.
The news of the successful launch of the Iranian military satellite could further fuel tensions in Iran-US relations, experts say, since such successes will not please Washington.
“Iran is actively developing its missile program. Space achievements are a clear indicator of Iran’s success in this area. In general, given the experience of the DPRK, Iran may also come to the conclusion that the insurance against an American invasion is the creation of intercontinental ballistic missiles. In any case, they are afraid of this in the USA, ”Asafov said.
Pandemic escalation
Iran-US relations have been in crisis over recent years. As President of the United States in 2017, Donald Trump accused Tehran of secretly attempting to continue working on nuclear weapons and violating the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA). Despite the fact that these accusations were denied not only by the Iranian authorities, but also by IAEA experts, the United States withdrew from the nuclear deal and restored anti-Iranian sanctions.
Tensions between the two countries peaked in early 2020, when the commander of the IRGC, General Kassem Suleimani, died as a result of a strike by the US Armed Forces. In Iran, this attack was regarded as a direct act of aggression.
- A U.S. strike on an airport in the vicinity of Baghdad that killed Kassem Suleimani
- AFP
- © Iraqui Military
In connection with the aggravated situation, American politicians were seriously worried that Trump could drag the country into a military conflict, experts recall. To prevent this from happening, Congress approved a law in March that limited the president’s ability to start a war with Iran. However, the White House promised to veto it.
However, Donald Trump continues to regularly bring charges against the Iranian leadership. So, in early April, the politician said that Iran and pro-Iranian forces were allegedly preparing an attack on US troops in Iraq.
According to Alexander Asafov, such statements have no real basis and are more likely to form the image of an external enemy among American voters. In a pandemic, when the health care system cannot cope with the influx of patients, and Trump’s economic achievements are quarantined, this becomes especially important, the analyst notes.
“In fact, Trump is simply trying to find a reason to bring charges against Iran. Now because of the coronavirus in the United States there is an unfavorable economic situation. But the election campaign continues in the country. Therefore, Trump urgently needs to do something to hide his mistakes. He wants to find the “bad guys,” an external adversary understandable to his electorate. So far, he gives the palm to China in this matter, but he doesn’t refuse anti-Iranian rhetoric either, ”Asafov said.
According to the expert, Trump’s attacks against Iran may be a prelude to launching a large information campaign to increase tension in the region.
“Trump is unlikely to decide to begin real military operations against Iran: most likely, he will act in the same way as in the case with the DPRK. That is, push the tension to the limit, reach the threat of a military strike, and then reduce the degree, ”said the expert.
A similar point of view is shared by the corresponding member of the Academy of Military Sciences, political analyst Sergei Sudakov.
“I think that Trump’s statement on the situation in the Persian Gulf is a provocation. It is unlikely that Iran is really ready to attack the US military. But Trump specifically exaggerates the danger in order to gain political points. This is an old trick. In this case, of course, he does not want a real collision. Such rhetoric and exchange of threats will continue further, ”the expert concluded.