Iran does not seek to start a regional war but would hold the United States responsible for the consequences of any such conflict, the country’s top military commander said on Sunday.
Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, said Iran remained fully prepared for a prolonged conflict with the United States while also remaining open to what he described as logical and unconditional avenues for diplomacy.
“We are not interested in starting a regional war,” Mousavi said at a ceremony marking the anniversary of Iran’s air force. “But a regional war would push the region’s progress and development back by years, and its consequences would be the responsibility of the war instigators, meaning the United States and the Zionist regime.”
Mousavi said Iran possessed both the military capability and readiness for a long-term confrontation with Washington, while stressing that Tehran preferred to avoid escalation.