Iran downplays US military threats

The Iranian defense minister has played down Washington’s recent “anti-human” military threats against the Islamic Republic, stressing that the United States is not capable of taking military action against Iran.

Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan said on Monday that threatening to use military option against Iran is an “anti-human discourse” the United States has employed and resembles a vortex that will drown the perpetrators of military action.

The Iranian minister further stated that the United States “has shown enmity towards us and plotted against the Islamic Republic for so long.”

“Of course, the Americans do not have the capability to carry out military action against Iran,” Dehqan stated.

The Iranian defense minister made the remarks in reaction to recent threats of military action by the US officials in an attempt to force the Islamic Republic to stop its civilian nuclear energy program.

On November 7, US President Barack Obama told the NBC News that Washington might still consider a military option against Iran if Tehran fails to give “assurances” over its nuclear program.

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – Britain, Russia, China, France and the United States – plus Germany concluded talks on Iran’s nuclear energy program in Geneva during the early hours of November 10, after three days of intense negotiations.

The two sides could not reach a deal in Geneva, but stressed that significant progress had been made and expressed optimism about the prospect of achieving a deal.

Also commenting on the Geneva talks, Brigadier General Dehqan said Paris represented the Israeli regime in the negotiations.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on November 9 that Israel’s “concerns” must be taken into consideration in the course of the nuclear discussions.