Speaking to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) on Wednesday, an Iranian government advisor has warned that if Iran is targeted, “some of the very small countries will be destroyed.”

“Nobody in America or the B team thinks of an extended war with Iran,” said Diako Hosseini, a senior analyst at Tehran’s Center for Strategic Studies (CSS), a think-tank responsible for advising Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s administration on foreign policy as well as internal affairs.

Hosseini added that if Iran is targeted in a limited war, “Iran’s reaction will be far more extensive and from the first day, some of the very small countries will be seriously and extensively targeted, to the point where they will be destroyed and no sign of civilization will be left of them.”

He had made similar remarks on Twitter last week, warning that in the event of a war, “The biggest losers would be the mini-states in the [Arabian] Gulf, like [the] Emirate[s] and Bahrain.” He added in another tweet that “if a war happens … the UAE will be wiped out from the map.”

On the attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, Hosseini said that in his opinion, “it does not matter who was behind this incident, what matters are the realities in display,” adding that “as long as America continues its policy of maximum pressure, and as long as the Saudi Arabia-UAE-Israel triangle continues with its provocations against Iran, the [Arabian] Gulf region will never have peace.”

On the possibility of a war, Hosseini said that “the occurrence of a war between Iran and America depends on Washington.”

“When Tehran says there is not going to be a war between Iran and America, it says so out of self-confidence. But America could miscalculate, or a third party could play a role in creating a war between Iran and America.”

Hosseini warned that “a single spark in the [Arabian] Gulf could set the whole region on fire,” adding that “America should control itself as well as its allies, and not be influenced by others.”

“Those who would start a war [with Iran], will not be the ones ending it,” he said.

Hosseini claimed that Iran has thus far been able to deal with the US sanctions by “adapting its economy,” adding that “if in the future, these sanctions become an existential threat [to Iran], Iran, like any other country, has the right to take any necessary measures to defend itself and should not set itself any limitations in doing so. In view of this, Iran could resort to other tools to counter America’s economic war.”

Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:59 - GMT 06:59