Top Iranian military aide: US vessels in the Gulf within range of our missiles
US military vessels in the Gulf are within the range
of Iranian missiles, a top military aide to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei said on Sunday, warning any clash between the two countries would push
oil prices above $100 a barrel.
Iran and the United States have been drawn into
starker confrontation in the past month, a year after Washington pulled out of
a deal between Iran and global powers to curb Tehran’s nuclear program in
return for lifting international sanctions.
Washington re-imposed sanctions last year and
ratcheted them up in May, ordering all countries to halt imports of Iranian
oil. In recent weeks it has also hinted at military confrontation, saying it
was sending extra forces to the Middle East to respond to an Iranian threat.
Yahya Rahim Safavi, a top military aide to Khamenei,
said: “The Americans are fully aware that their military forces (in the region)
are within the Iran’s missile range and all US and foreigners’ navy in the
Persian Gulf are within the range of land-to-sea missiles of the Revolutionary
Guards.”
“The first bullet fired in the Persian Gulf will
push oil prices above $100. This would be unbearable to America, Europe and the
US allies like Japan and South Korea,” Rahim Safavi was quoted as saying by
Fars news agency.
President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday suggested Iran
may be willing to hold talks if the United States showed it respect, but said
Tehran would not be pressured into negotiations.
