All Options on the Table: Iran Ready for Worst-case Scenario in Face-off with US

By Staff, Agencies

Spokesman for the Iranian government Ali Rabiei said the Islamic Republic is ready for the worst-case scenario in its current confrontation with the US over Iranian tanker ships delivering oil to Venezuela, stressing that the Tehran-Caracas relations are not other countries’ business.

Rabiei made the remarks in a weekly news briefing on Monday when asked about the Islamic Republic’s possible reaction if the United States attempted to block the passage of Iranian tanker ships bound for Venezuela.

“Our foreign minister has issued necessary warnings and this issue has been also discussed by the [Iranian] administration and the Supreme National Security Council. We hope that the US would not make such a mistake, but in any case, we will take all possibilities into account and are ready for a worst-case scenario,” he said.

Iran is shipping tons of gasoline to Venezuela in defiance of US sanctions on both countries in a symbolic move guaranteed by Tehran’s missile prowess.

Reports of a shipment of Iranian fuel to Venezuela in the face of US sanctions against the two allies have infuriated the United States, with one official threatening to take “measures" against the “unwelcome” development.

Relatively, a senior official in US President Donald Trump’s administration told Reuters on Thursday that the United States was considering measures against Iran in response to the fuel shipment.

On Sunday, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif issued a stern warning against Washington’s provocative acts through dispatching its naval forces to the Caribbean Sea with the goal of disrupting the course of Iranian tankers carrying fuel for Venezuela.

In a letter to the United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Zarif described "the illegal, dangerous and provocative US threats" as a form of piracy and a big threat to international peace and security.

Iran also summoned the Swiss envoy, whose country represents US interests in Tehran, to voice the Islamic Republic’s vehement protest at the provocations.

“Although it is too early to comment on Iran's response to a possible US piracy, we will reserve all the options if they make such a mistake, and will take appropriate action to protect freedom of navigation and increase the unprecedented cost of violating the [maritime] law,” Rabiei told the news briefing.

Iran has intentionally hoisted its own flag over the huge tankers and is shipping large consignments of gasoline to Venezuela even though the US could try to intercept the shipments and seize the tankers.

The US Navy is said to have deployed its USS Detroit [LCS-7], USS Lassen [DDG-82], USS Preble [DDG-88], and USS Farragut [DDG-99] to the Caribbean along with its patrol aircraft Boeing P8-Poseidon for possible encounter with the Iranian vessels.