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Zarif Says Gulf Arabs Ready To Fight Iran 'To The Last American'


FILE - Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif reacts during a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (not pictured) in Moscow, Russia, September 2, 2019
FILE - Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif reacts during a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (not pictured) in Moscow, Russia, September 2, 2019

Before leaving for New York to attend the UN General Assembly, Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif continued his war of words with the U.S. and its allies on Friday.

Zarif tweeted the U.S. allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates seem to wish to “fight Iran to the last American”.

Zarif was responding to a statement a day earlier by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during a visit to Abu Dhabi that: "While the foreign minister of Iran is threatening all-out war and to fight to the last American, we're here to build up a coalition aimed at achieving peace."

Zarif tweeted on Friday: "@SecPompeo has it the other way around: It's not #Iran that wishes to fight to the last American; rather, it is his #B Team hosts who seem to wish to fight Iran to the last American."

Zarif coined the term B Team to allege that Saudi Crown Price Mohammad bin Salman, former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu constitute a group that wants to push the United States toward war with Iran.

Earlier, referring to civilian casualties in Yemen Zarif had said that what is important for the U.S. is oil and not Arab blood.

Amid an unprecedented level of tension in the Persian Gulf, the Pentagon is set to present a wide range of military options to President Donald Trump as the U.S. leader considers how to respond to an attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil industry that many in the administration have blamed on Iran.

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