U.S.- Iran relationships have further deteriorated after the drone attacks on two plants at the heart of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s oil industry last week. Saudi Arabia and U.S. have blamed Iran for the attack, claim they have evidence, while Iran continues to deny.
The United States on Friday imposed more sanctions, targeting the Central Bank of Iran, which was already under U.S. sanctions, the National Development Fund of Iran – the country’s sovereign wealth fund – and an Iranian company that U.S. officials say is used to conceal financial transfers for Iranian military purchases.
The move to impose further sanctions on Iran were criticized as being signs of ‘desperation’ to bring Iran on its knees by adding sanctions on the same institution repeatedly, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters in remarks shown on state television.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday additionally approved sending more troops to Saudi Arabia to bolster Saudi Arabia’s air and missile defenses, not numbering thousands in numbers which would be defensive in nature.
On the other hand, Iran who denies its alleged involvement into executing the Sept 14 attack on Saudi Arabia’s largest oil plants – which was claimed by Yemen’s Houthi movement, a group aligned with Iran and currently fighting a Saudi-led alliance in Yemen’s civil war – has said that it would destroy any aggressor, even if it carries out limited attacks on Iran.
“Be careful, a limited aggression will not remain limited. We will pursue any aggressor,” the head of the Guards, Major General Hossein Salami, said in remarks broadcast on state TV.
A senior official of Saudi Arabia said it will wait until the investigation into the case is complete before responding to the attack. It claims that Iran is responsible for the Sept 14 attack. They said that the attack was done with Iranian weapons, thus holding Iran accountable for the attack.
Meanwhile,the UN and several other nations are urging all parties to practice restrain while dealing with the matter.
