Iran Says US Coalition-Building Efforts Doomed to Failure

Speaking to Tasnim News Agency in an interview published on Saturday, Ali Shamkhani said the US has for a long time been trying to gather countries together against Tehran.

However, the SNSC secretary said countries in the region are not in line with the US policy on Iran, particularly Arab governments.

“Many Arab countries in the southern side of the Persian Gulf have friendly relations with Iran and see no need for creating military or security alliances against Iran,” he said.

“To the opposite, countries such as Oman, Qatar and Kuwait are looking to prevent unnecessary tensions with and have made good efforts,” he said.

“Even the UAE’s policy is not totally similar to Saudi Arabia and there are rulers inside the UAE who send messages for cooperation and removing misunderstandings,” he said.

 

US Unable to Wage War

Shamkhani said the US efforts to build coalitions against Tehran or impose sanctions on the country are rooted in their failure to wage wars against Tehran.

The SNSC secretary said Iran is capable of responding to threats and the US knows this.

“That’s why they are raising threats with loud voice. They make bigger threats as they know they can’t go to war,” he said.

 

Talks with US Meaningless

Shamkhani said Iran won’t engage in talks with the US, as Washington has frequently proved that it is untrustworthy.

“Basically, making deals with the Trump administration is wrong as it means [Iran] accepts US violation of its commitments. Moreover, there are no guarantees that the next US government will be faithful to the new deal,” he said.

Shamkhani said the US needs to prove its good will through fulfilling its JCPOA obligations.

The SNSC secretary said Iran believes the US cannot be trusted with keeping its word and it has no need to deal with such a country.

 

Iran Devised Plans to Foil Oil Plots

Asked if the US will be able to carry out its threat to cut down to zero Iran’s oil export, Shamkhani said Iran has developed plans to counter illegal US sanctions against Tehran.

The SNSC secretary said blocking the oil flow in the region is not equal to blocking the Hormuz strait and Iran has many options to fulfill its pledge.

 

Israeli Airstrikes against Syria Bear No Fruits

The Israeli attacks against Syria are aimed at assisting terrorist in the war-torn Arab country, he said.

Israel’s attack against Syria will be dealt with decisively, he said, adding that Iran has made major efforts to boost deterrence in the face of Israeli attacks.

Israel is not after a war in the northern front and resistance forces have devised their strategy based on this policy, Shamkhani said.

However, the Israeli attacks against Syria have produced no tangible outcomes and Iran has reached 90 percent of objectives in the country.

 

Iran-Taliban Talks Part of Peace-Building Efforts

On the recent announcement that Iran has engaged in talks with the Taliban militant group, Shamkhani said Iran has held negotiations with the group upon formal requests by the Afghan government, as part of efforts to promote peace in the neighbouring country.

“We have never spared any chance to help our Afghan brothers. We believe helping our brothers in Afghanistan in their path of progress and creating peace and stability is our duty [as a neighbor],” he said.

 

US Withdrawal Rooted in Mideast Realities

On the announcement that the US will withdraw forces from Syria and Afghanistan, Shamkhani said the decision has its roots in realities of the region.

“I’m of the opinion that Trump’s decision to withdraw US forces from Syria results from the imposition of realities of the region to the US. One of the most important realities in Syria and other parts of the region is that US-allied forces have been defeated by the will of nations and have inflicted political, military and financial costs to the US,” he said.

Shamkhani said the businessman-turned-politician would likely pull out his forces from some other parts of the region by the end of 2019.

Iran believes the US presence in the region has brought nothing but death and destruction and regional nations are capable of solving the region’s problems themselves.