Javad Zarif warns President Trump after making wild accusation he has intel that Israel wants to provoke the U.S. into a war with Iran.
By Paul Shindman, World Israel News
Iran’s Foreign Minister upped the ante Saturday in his war of words with Washington, warning President Donald Trump with a claim that Israel was going to attack Americans in order to create a fake reason to start a war.
“New intelligence from Iraq indicate that Israeli agent-provocateurs are plotting attacks against Americans — putting an outgoing Trump in a bind with a fake casus belli,” Javad Zarif tweeted.
“Be careful of a trap, @realDonaldTrump. Any fireworks will backfire badly, particularly against your same BFFs,” Zarif said, using the popular social media acronym for “best friends forever” about the close U.S. Israel relationship.
The rhetoric from Iran increased in advance of Sunday’s first anniversary of the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. air strike ordered by Trump on January 3, 2020. Known for advancing Iran’s military interests in the region including its support for terrorist groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon. Trump labeled Soleimani the world’s number one terrorist.
Iran has threatened to avenge Soleimani’s death, as well as the death of its top nuclear scientist who was killed in November in what Tehran claimed was an Israeli attack.
After the U.S. made a show of force last week by flying B-52 bombers to the region, Zarif on Thursday also tweeted that Iran had “Intelligence from Iraq indicate plot to FABRICATE pretext for war.”
“Instead of fighting Covid in US, @realDonaldTrump & cohorts waste billions to fly B52s & send armadas to OUR region.” Zarif said. “Iran doesn’t seek war but will OPENLY & DIRECTLY defend its people, security & vital interests.”
Two weeks ago several rockets were fired at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad by suspected pro-Iranian militias, prompting Trump to tweet a warning to Tehran, saying “…Some friendly health advice to Iran: If one American is killed, I will hold Iran responsible. Think it over.”
In an apparent bid to ease some of the tension in the region, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Thursday that the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz was ordered to immediately return to its home part after being stationed off the coast of Somalia and nearby Yemen, where Iran is supporting the rebel Houthi faction in the ongoing civil war there.
The U.S. maintains a massive amount of firepower in the region, with several air force bases in Gulf Arab countries and two aircraft carrier task forces – the USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower – in international waters near Iran.