In an interview with Fars news agency, Saeed Khatibzadeh, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman has said Iran was “prepared for any scenario” over tensions in the Persian Gulf, where the United States this week deployed a nuclear submarine and flew B52 bombers before redeploying the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz.

“We are not looking for tension, but we are very serious about defending our interests,” Khatibzadeh said. “We will not start any action but our response to any action will be definitive and strong.”

Khatibzadeh anticipated the situation after January 20, when President Donald Trump leaves the White House, suggesting that President-elect Joe Biden could “reverse all of the executive orders Trump has issued about Iran on his first day in office as President.” Trump has imposed draconian sanctions since leaving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action).

The spokesman stressed that as the US had previously signed the 2015 agreement and voted for the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 that endorsed it, Washington needed to “prove that it is trustworthy.” While Iranian president Hassan Rouhani has expressed a desire to revive the agreement – meaning Tehran returning to the nuclear limits and the US easing sanction – he has put the onus on the US to act first.

Khatibzadeh said that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Biden had not exchanged messages and that Iran needed to “see how Biden’s signature works…Nothing is going to happen before the US returns to the full compliance of the JCPOA.”

Khatibzadeh during his interview with reporters at Fars News Agency

On Soleimani and Iraq

Khatibzadeh said Iran could not forget the killing of General Qasem Soleimani, whose convoy was hit by a US drone in Baghdad on January 3. The lead-up to the first anniversary of the death of the commander of Iran’s extraterritorial Qods Force and nine others has led to calls for revenge in both Iran and Iraq.

The spokesman said Tehran planned legal action in several countries to bring those responsible to justice and that Iraq was “also clearly responsible for the case as the country’s former Prime Minister Adil Abd Al-Mahdi has acknowledged.” A report in July from the United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, Agnes Callamard, said the killing was unlawful as the US had not provided evidence of an imminent threat to life.

Khatibzadeh reiterated Iran’s condemnation of attacks on diplomatic facilities in Baghdad – a reference to a recent rocket attack for which militias allied to Iran were suspected.

Warning Israel

Asked about the implications of military cooperation between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain – which predates this summer’s ‘normalization’ agreements - Khatibzadeh said Iran did not recognize normalization of ties between Israel and the Persian Gulf Arab states. He said Israel was the root cause of regional insecurity, that Iran would make “no compromise on our national security,” and that Israel knew “very well” to expect a “destructive” response if it approached Iran’s “red lines.”

On Relations with Saudi Arabia

Khatibzadeh said that Iran wanted co-operation with Saudi Arabia, which needed to stop “begging to buy security from the forces that are the cause of insecurity in the region.” Iran had still not received a Saudi response to its Hormuz Peace Plan, a proposal for collective security put forwards at the UN in September 2019, Khatibzadeh said: “Saudi rulers should feel mature and confident before they can reach to a mechanism for regional cooperation.”

On Zarif's Future

Asked about rumors that Zarif might stand for president in June’s election, Khatibzadeh reiterated the foreign minister’s own statement that he had no plans in that direction: “He [Zarif] has said this in public and private meetings. It is unlikely that Zarif would pursue any career different from what he is following right now.”