Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif referred to the sending of U.S. troops to Saudi Arabia as “posturing” in an interview on Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
“I think it’s posturing. I think it’s all going the wrong direction in addressing this issue,” said Zarif.
U.S. President Donald Trump decided on Friday to send American troops to Saudi Arabia to strengthen the country’s air and missile defenses.
The Pentagon said the troops sent would not number in the thousands and would have a defensive mission, Reuters reported on Saturday. In addition, the delivery of military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates would be expedited according to the report.
The United States blamed Iran for the attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities the previous weekend, but Zarif again claimed that Iran was not responsible in the CBS interview.
Asked if he believed that war could be avoided, Zarif responded, “No. No, I’m not confident that we can avoid a war. We ... I’m confident that we will not start one, but I’m confident that whoever starts one will not be the one who finishes it. [...] That means that there won’t be a limited war.”
