Saudi prince rules out strike on Iran
IRAN: The former Saudi intelligence agency chief has ruled out the
prospect of a military strike against Iran, saying an attack would have
catastrophic consequences.
Prince Turki al-Faisal made the remarks during a trip to Washington
on Tuesday.
"An attack on Iran, I think, will have catastrophic consequences Such
an act would be foolish and to undertake it would be tragic," he said.
The former Saudi ambassador to Washington said that an attack would
make Iranians defend their nuclear program more adamantly.
The United States, Israel, and some of their allies accuse Iran of
pursuing military objectives in its nuclear program and are using the
charge as a pretext to push for the imposition of new sanctions on Iran
and to beat the drums of war for an attack on the Islamic Republic.
Iran argues that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty and a member of the IAEA it has the right to develop and acquire
nuclear technology meant for peaceful purposes.
Iranian officials have promised a crushing response to any military
strike against the country, warning that such a measure could create a
war that would expand beyond the Middle East.
Turki al-Faisal also brought up the United States' false accusation
of Iranian involvement in an alleged assassination plot on US soil.
On October 11, the US Justice Department accused Iran of plotting to
assassinate Saudi Arabian Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir, with help from a
man suspected of being a member of a Mexican drug cartel.
Tehran says the media hype created by Washington is an attempt to
deflect attention from the anti-corruption and anti-corporatism protests
currently rocking the country. Press TV
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