The United States has nothing left to pressure Tehran over its nuclear program except for war, and if it chooses conflict Iran could close a key energy chokepoint, its envoy to Baghdad told AFP Thursday.
Ambassador Hassan Danaie-Far insisted in an interview that
Tehran retained the right to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which a
third of the world's traded oil passes, in response to any aggression,
military or otherwise.
"What else Mr. Obama can do?" Danaie-Far said through an Iranian embassy translator.
"The only remaining card on the table is war. Is it to their
benefit? Is it to the benefit of the world? Is it to the benefit of the
region?"
The diplomat said if it faced a "problem," Tehran would be within its rights "to react and to defend itself."
Asked if it could try to close off the strait, Danaie-Far
replied: "If there is some movement and action from our enemies,
including [the] U.S., against us, as a part of [a] natural reaction,
that may happen."
"Everybody would be a loser in that case," he added.
On whether only military or other types of pressure could spur Iran to make such a move, he said: "It can include all of them."
Iran
frequently conducts missile tests and maneuvers to underline its
military muscle, and has repeatedly threatened to close the Strait of
Hormuz to oil tanker traffic should it be attacked.
Washington has warned Tehran that any attempt to close the
strait would be viewed as a "red line"--grounds for U.S. military
action.
Iran
regularly denounces the regional presence of foreign forces, including
American, particularly those stationed in the Gulf. It says the security
of the region must be ensured "by regional countries."
Arab monarchies across the Gulf from Iran
are worried by what they see as the territorial ambitions by the
Islamic republic, which frequently stresses Persia's historic dominance
over the waterway.