Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has snapped at US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on his Twitter, saying that it was in fact Washington's allies that want to fight Iran to the last American.
.@SecPompeo has it the other way around:
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) September 20, 2019
It's not #Iran that wishes to fight to the last American; rather, it is his #B_Team hosts who seem to wish to fight Iran to the last American.
Iran has no desire for war, but we will, and always have, defend our people and our nation.
The retort comes in response to Pompeo's remark to the press in Abu Dhabi, UAE, following talks with Crown Prince Muhammad bin Zayid al-Nahyan.
"We are still striving to build out a coalition in an act of diplomacy while the foreign minister of Iran is threatening all-out war and to fight to the last American”, Pompeo told reporters.
Over the weekend, Saudi Aramco had to close two of its compounds, the Abqaiq and Khurais facilities, after they were hit by drones and then caught fire. The incident led to a cut in oil production totalling 5.7 million barrels per day - about half of Saudi Arabia’s daily oil output.
The Yemeni Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attacks, while US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of being behind the incident. The Iranian Foreign Ministry has called Pompeo's allegations false.