SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused the United States on Thursday of trying to fabricate a pretext for attacking Iran, and vowed Tehran would defend itself even though it does not seek war.
“[President] @realDonaldTrump & cohorts waste billions to fly B52s & send armadas to OUR region. Intelligence from Iraq indicate plot to FABRICATE pretext for war,” Zarif said in a tweet.
Two B-52 bombers carried out a round-trip, 30-hour mission from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota to the Middle East which ended on Wednesday.
Politico cited a senior U.S. official as saying that the flight by the B-52 bombers was in response to signals that Iran may be planning attacks against U.S. allied targets in Iraq or elsewhere in the region in the coming days.
“Iran doesn’t seek war but will OPENLY & DIRECTLY defend its people, security & vital interests”, Zarif said.
In recent days there has been increased concern and vigilance about what Iranian-backed forces might do in the lead up to the anniversary of a Jan. 3 U.S. drone strike in Iraq that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, according to a U.S. official.
American defense officials said the U.S. military was bracing for a possible attack on U.S. personnel and interests in Iraq.
“The United States continues to deploy combat-ready capabilities into the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to deter any potential advisory, and make clear that we are ready and able to respond to any aggression directed at Americans or our interests,” Chief of U.S. Central Command Kenneth McKenzie said, the Washington Post reported.
“We do not seek conflict, but no one should underestimate our ability to defend our forces or to act decisively in response to any attack,” McKenzie added.
A senior U.S. defense official said leaders of Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have met with Quds Force leaders and that a “fair amount of advanced conventional weaponry” has flowed over the border from Iran into Iraq.
“I would tell you that the threat streams are very real,” the senior official told the Post.
He characterized the situation as the “most concerning that I have seen” since Soleimani’s killing, and said there is concern of a complex attack, the Post reported.
